The Doctor's Love (Book 2 in the Doctor's Daughter Series)
by Tempest Wolfe
Summary: [A rewrite of season 3] Heartbroken by the loss of Wolfe, Rose and the Doctor find a new companion and struggle to understand their own quickly changing relationship. As more varying struggles, difficult choices, surprises, and arguments come their way, they fight to stay safe and together, and find a way back to their daughter.
1. Chapter 1

"When it starts, just hold on tight. Shouldn't be too bad for us but the Daleks and the Cybermen are steeped in Void Stuff. Are you ready? Wolfe, you stay with Rose and you don't move, you hear me?" The Doctor says

"Yes, Dad." She answers

We get into our positions beside the levers.

"Let's do it!" the Doctor yells

I press down on my lever as the Doctor does the same before rushing back to take hold of the clamp next to Wolfe.

"Online."

The area is filled with the white light, but this time, there's also the sound of a strong wind. The Daleks are sucked through the window, smashing through the glass as they are pulled into the white light and back to the Void.

We hold on to the clamps tightly, struggling to hold on.

"The breach is open! Into the Void! Ha!" Shouts the Doctor

Millions of Cybermen and Daleks hurtle into the Void.

I smile across at the Doctor as they are billowed by the wind. Suddenly, there is a small explosion of sparks and the lever on my side moves back into the off position. The smiles fade from our faces.

"Offline." yells the computer

"Turn it on!" The Doctor yells as the suction is starting to ease.

I reach for the lever, my body straining, while still holding onto the clamp, but its just slightly too far away. I strain to reach it, groaning with the effort.

"I've got it!" Wolfe yells, letting go and sliding to the lever, grasping it tightly

I stare at her as she clings to the lever, my stomach full of dread. I let out a small noise, unable to speak for fear my daughter will fall into the void.

"I've gotta get it upright!" she yells, pushing the lever upwards, groaning with the effort. Finally, she manages to push the lever upright. I glance at the Doctor who looks like his hearts are pounding from his chest.

"Online and locked." The Computer announces

The suction increases once more. But now, Wolfe has nothing to hold on to but the lever.

"Wolfe, hold on!" Screams the Doctor

The void yanks at her grip and she cries out with the effort.

"Hold on!" I shriek, trying to reach for her. All of my strength is almost spent. The Doctor stares at us, terror in his gaze. He's horribly powerless, reaching out to us in vain.

Time seems to slow

"Dad! Mum!" Wolfe yells, "I love you. I love you so so much. You made my life worth it, you made me special and I love you. Finish Harry Potter. See the World together. Be together. Rose and the Doctor, as it should be…I promise…I promise I will find you again…I love you."

With one last cry, her grip finally slips, and she is pulled inexorably towards the Void, crying out. The Doctor screams her name as I am sobbing and shrieking incomprehensibly, as our daughter sails towards the void.

I gasp as Pete appears, He catches Wolfe like a ragdoll in his arms.

Her eyes open and she looks at us for a half second before they vanish.

"No!" I scream as Wolfe disappears.

The Doctor stares at the place where they disappeared, breathing very heavily. The breach closes itself. The wind dies down, leaving the place silent, besides my sobs.

I let go of the clamp and charge over to the wall

"No! No!" I slam my fists against the wall. "Bring her back, bring her back!" I sob "No."

The Doctor walks slowly up to the wall, beside me.

He lays one palm flat against it, and then rests his head there, empty.

I continue to sob, curled up at the bottom of the wall.

The Doctor seems to feel something, pressed against the wall. Shakily, I stand and press my hand next to him, my tearstained face facing him.

We stay that way for a long moment.

Images of Wolfe's hair and her smile and her hugs flashes through my head and another sob escapes from my lips, and I crumple to the ground. The Doctor finally lets his hand slide down the wall.

He looks down at me, his face blank.

"Come on, Rose." He says, softly, kneeling down.

He tries to lift me up, but I scramble away from him.

"No! She'll come back! She has to…Wolfe!" I sob, pressing against the wall.

"Rose she can't." Now I hear the broken emotion in his voice. "Come on. She saved us. She saved the world."

"But she was ours. She was our daughter and we let her…she'll be alone…we promised her Doctor, we promised her…" I sob, and he helps me up, and his hands gently hold my face so he can look at me, his thumbs gently wiping away my tears.

I notice a single tear drip down his cheek.

"Rose. Rose. I know." He whispers "But there's nothing we can do but do as she told us. Travelling again. We'll never forget her, and we'll never stop looking for her, but we have to go."

"No." I murmur, leaning forward so my face is in his shirt, as I sob.

He wraps his arms around me, resting his cheek on my head as he tries to soothe me.

Very slowly, he lets go of me, and grasps my hand tightly in his.

We start walking back to the Tardis, down the mangled staircases, and across the empty, debris filled corridors until we reach the storage room with the Tardis.

I pause before I enter it, looking around at the building.

"Come on." Urges the Doctor tugging me inside. "We're just going to float in space for a little while. No planets." He tells me as he starts the rotors.

Even the Tardis is mournful. I can hear it in her noise. The console beeps several times.

"What is it girl?" the Doctor asks, looking on the monitor, curiously.

"No…" He gasps, absolute horror on his face. "No, no, no, no!"

"What?" I sniffle from where he sat me on one of the chairs

The Doctor looks up at me.

"She was ours." He whispers

"I know" I break new sobs

"No, she was ours, _biologically_." He whispers.

"B-but that's impossible we never…I mean…we only just kissed…" I babble, unable to understand

"She's from a different dimension, like Pete's World, she was created as a variable of Bad Wolf. Rose do you remember the first time I kissed you?"  
"The one about ten minutes ago? Yes." I ask, confused

"No, months ago, in my old form, back when you were Bad Wolf. You were dying and I kissed you to suck the time vortex out of you. Wolfe's background says she was a variable, which was created in that universe. A daughter. A _child_ of the oncoming storm and Bad Wolf. Her name, Tempest, as in storm, and Wolfe, as in Bad Wolf."

"That's why she looked like me. My daughter." I whisper, before a new round of sobs is drawn out of me "Why didn't she tell us? All that time…She must have known."

"She did, so did the of them kept it hidden! That's why the Tardis didn't show her DNA, even though she knew it matched ours. I think Wolfe wanted us to love her for her and not because of what she is." He whispers "She would have terrified us if we had known."

I just sob "But our daughter…we'll never see her again."

"No, no, don't say that." The Doctor is at my side, seconds later, pulling my arms from my face, and looking down at me, fiercely

"Rose you listen to me, I promise you if it's the last thing I ever do, we will see our daughter again, do you hear me?"

I nod, tears running down my face.

Leaning forward, I slam my mouth into his, kissing him as my arms slide around his neck.

He stumbles backwards from where he was crouched to talk to me, and ends up on his back on the floor, my body pressed on top of him, his arms around my waist, our mouths glued together.

Running out of air, I pull away from him, and lay my head on his chest.

"Until we find her, she'll have your Mum and Pete." The Doctor whispers

"Your Mum wont let her wander off, she'll take care of her and love her, and Pete, once he finds out she's a time lady he'll love to talk to her."

I let out a chuckle "Can you imagine the fights Wolfe will get into with Mum? They're both so fierce they're bound to clash at some point."

"And Pete will be stuck in the middle, trying to mediate and then both girls will turn on him!" chuckles the Doctor.

We laugh lightly, the pain of losing Wolfe still raw.

"Come on." The Doctor urges after a couple of minutes. "We…we need to follow her orders. Finish Harry Potter, and then travel. You pick, anywhere."

"Can we read it aloud? Like we usually do?" I ask as I get off of the Doctor, and help him up.

"Of course."

I sniffle, wiping away new tears, as I follow him to his room.

We sit on the bed, my head on his shoulder as he reads the last two chapters of Harry Potter.

Tears drip down my cheeks as he finishes the book, and slowly shuts its cover.

I look up at him, and see the tears dripping down his cheeks, in silence.

Laying my head on his chest, I take a deep breath, trying to steady the tears, which drip uncontrollably.

"Rose." Whispers the Doctor and I look up at him, his tears faded into his cheeks, and his eyes dull "Let's go, find something to do. Wolfe wouldn't want us to lie around."

"I know. She always did love travelling." I agree, sitting up and wiping off my face.

The Doctor takes my hand and we walk back to the console room.

"Wait, I want to change, and my hair…" I back away for a moment

"You look beautiful." The Doctor answers, quickly

I smile at him "Thank you, but I just need to…wash off."

He nods, understanding.

Hurrying back to my room, I grab a fresh pair of clothes and hurry into the shower, washing off all of my tears, the dust of the battle, and trying to rid my body from the ache of loss. I dry my hair and tug on my new clothes, a fluffy purple jumper and jeans. I also wear the boots and bracelet Wolfe gave me.

I go to deposit my laundry in my room when I hear the Doctor shout from the console room. "What?"

"Who are you?" A woman's voice, one I have never heard before barks

"Where am I?" She demands again, and I start running to the console room

"What?" The Doctor repeats

"What the hell is this place?" Shouts the woman's voice again as I burst into the console room where a ginger haired woman, wearing a bridal gown, is standing.

"What?" I ask, completely confused as to how she ended up here


	2. Chapter 2

_"_ _What?" I ask, completely confused as to how she ended up here_

"Doctor?" I look at him for answers

"You can't do that, I wasn't... we're in flight! That is... that is physically impossible! How did...?" The Doctor babbles, utterly lost

"Tell me where I am. I demand you tell me right now, where am I?" Shouts the ginger

"You're inside the Tardis." I answer her

"The what?" she demands

"The Tardis!" The Doctor answers

"The what?"

"The Tardis!" I answer again, exasperated.

The Doctor turns to the controls.

"The what?" the ginger repeats for the third time.

"It's called the Tardis." The Doctor groans

"That's not even a proper word. You're just saying things." Challenges the ginger

"How did you get in here?" I ask

"Well, obviously, when you kidnapped me. Who was it? Who's paying you? Is it Nerys? Oh, my God, she's finally got me back. This has got Nerys written all over it." The Doctor watches her rant, looking her up and down with utter confusion. I look over at him

"Who the hell is Nerys?" I demand

"Your best friend." Snarls the ginger

"Hold on, wait a minute... what're you dressed like that for?" He asks and I look at him in confusion.

"I'm going ten pin bowling." The ginger yells, sarcastically, and I can't help but smile. "Why do you think, Dumbo? I was halfway up the aisle!" She shrieks at the Doctor.

The Doctor begins to fiddle with the controls whilst the woman walks around, ranting.

"I've been waiting all my life for this. I was just seconds away! And then you... I dunno, you drugged me or something!"

"I haven't done anything!" the Doctor responds, offended

"We're having the police on you! Me and my husband, as soon as he is my husband, we're gonna sue the living backside off ya!"

The Doctor does not reply, engrossed in operating the controls. Donna notices the doors and rushes over to them. The Doctor looks up in alarm, hurrying after her.

"No, wait a minute! Wait a minute! Don't...!"

I follow them, rushing to keep her from jumping out of the Tardis by accident, but its too late, she's has already thrown open the doors and is now looking upon a galaxy.

Her mouth falls open slightly.

I walk next to her

"You're in space. Outer Space." I explain and the Doctor follows my lead

"This is my... space-ship. It's called the Tardis."

"How am I breathing?" She asks, in shock

"The Tardis is protecting us." Explains the Doctor

"Who are you two?"

"I'm the Doctor." Smiles the Doctor

"I'm Rose." I answer "and…" my voice dies in my throat, and I look at the Doctor tears welling in my eyes again.

"Who are you?" the Doctor hurriedly asks Donna to cover up my almost introduction of Wolfe.

"Donna." Huffs the ginger

"Human?" The Doctor asks, looking her up and down

"Yeah. Is that optional?" Donna snorts

"Well, it is for me."

Donna glances around at him, but there's not much room for more surprise.

"You're an alien." She says, calmly

"Yeah." He nods

"and you, what're you?" She turns to me

"Human as you are." I smile, trying to hide my teary eyes

Donna looks at me a moment, before she turns back to the Doctor

"It's freezing with these doors open"

So the Doctor slams them shut and darts back to the console.

"But I don't understand it and I understand everything! This... this can't happen! There is no way a Human Being can lock itself onto the Tardis and transport itself inside…"

"He likes to insult things when he's frustrated." I apologize softly to her as he babbles

"It must be..." He gasps and suddenly he's all energy, he grabs a doctor tool and uses it to look into Donna's eyes, all the while muttering an endless flow of techno-babble. Donna is stuck silent with confusion.

"Impossible. Some sort of subatomic connection? Something in the temporal field? Maybe something pulling you into alignment with the Chronon shell. Maybe something macro mining your DNA within the interior matrix. Maybe a genetic..." She slaps him.

I snort at the surprise on his face

"What was that for?" he demands indignantly

"Get me to the church!" She yells

"Right! Fine! I don't want you here anyway! Where is this wedding?"

"Saint Mary's, Hayden Road, Chiswick, London, England, Earth, the Solar System." Donna shrieks with ever growing annoyance

"Donna…" I start, trying to calm her down when she catches sight of something the Doctor and I didn't. She snatches up a small blouse slung over one of the railings. It's one of Wolfe's, probably left accidentally.

"I knew it. Acting all innocent." She strides over to the Doctor and shows him the blouse. "I'm not the first, am I? How many people have you abducted? And look at this? A child's piece too! Both of you...you perverts!" She shrieks

The Doctor looks up from the controls and his eyes fall to the garment in Donna's hands. His face falls.

"That's our… friend's." he says, softly,

"Where is she, then? Popped out for a space walk?" Donna retorts, sarcastically and I flinch.

"She's gone." He whispers

"Gone where?" Demands Donna

"I lost her." He answers, sounding broken, and my heart wrenches in my chest.

"Well, you can hurry up and lose me!" Donna announces furious.

The Doctor doesn't respond, but simply looks at Wolfe's shirt.

She watches him for a moment, and then looks over at me.

I hurriedly wipe the tear form my face, and she quiets down, understanding that this is a sensitive topic.

"How do you mean, "lost"?" She asks him, and suddenly The Doctor looks up at her darkly and advances; for a moment, Donna looks fearful but he only snatches Wolfe's blouse away from her. He makes towards the doors.

"Right! Chiswick." He flings open the doors, to reveal the hustle and bustle of a street.

I hadn't even noticed we'd set off, I was too consumed by Wolfe's shirt.

Donna walks from the Tardis, looking annoyed

"I said: Saint Mary's. What sort of Martian are you? Where's this?" she snarls.

The Doctor has deposited Wolfe's shirt in my arms.

I bring it to my nose, inhaling the last scent of Wolfe from it, trying not to cry again.

The Doctor strokes the Tardis with concern.

"Something's wrong with her..." he mutters and Donna rolls her eyes.

"It's like she's... recalibrating!" He rushes back into the Tardis and over to the console. "She's digesting."

Donna is standing outside with her mouth open.

"What have you eaten? What's wrong?" He asks her while I force myself to drop Wolfe's shirt.

"Donna? You've really gotta think. Is there anything that might've caused this?" The Doctor yells to her, but Donna isn't listening, she's pacing around the outside of the Tardis.

"Anything you might've done? Any sort of alien contacts? I can't let you go wandering off in case you're dangerous. I mean, have you... have you seen lights in the sky? Or... did you touch something? Something... something different? Something strange? Something made out of a sort of metal or... who're you getting married to?" The Doctor yells again and All the while, Donna has just popped her head back inside, as if to check whether she wasn't just imagining how big it was. Having confirmed this, she stumbles backwards, hands over her mouth.

"Are you sure he's human? He's not a bit overweight with a zip around his forehead, is he?" The Doctor continues, not noticing Donna understanding the Tardis's size.

She turns and runs

"Doctor!" I yell and take off after her, the Doctor following.

"Donna!" he yells as he falls into step beside her.

"Donna." He repeats as I run after them

"Leave me alone. I just want to get married." She snarls at us

"Come back to the Tardis." I encourage

"No way. That box is too... weird." She shudders, but slows down

"It's... bigger on the inside, that's all." The Doctor explains, and she turns to glare at him

"Oh! That's all?" She sighs exaggeratedly and then checks her watch. "Ten past three. I'm gonna miss it." She whimpers, sounding close to tears

"You can phone them. Tell them where you are." I encourage and she glares at me

"How do I do that?"  
"Haven't you got a mobile?" The Doctor asks her

Donna stops and stares at him. "I'm in my wedding dress. It doesn't have pockets. Who has pockets? Have you ever seen a bride with pockets? When I went to my fitting, do you think I said "Alison, the one thing I forgot to say is give me pockets"?" she shrieks, her voice hitting unfortunate volumes

"... This man you're marrying, what's his name?" I ask

"Lance." Sighs Donna, suddenly becoming girlishly in love

"Gotta like Lance." The Doctor sighs, chuckling slightly

"Oi! No stupid Martian is gonna stop me from getting married. To hell with you!" Shouts Donna and She runs off.

"I'm... I'm not... I'm not... I'm not from Mars." The Doctor mutters before we take off after her.

We follow her down the street to the corner

"Taxi!" she yells

The Doctor and I slow to a stop next to her

The taxi ignores her.

"Why's his light on?" Donna demands

"There's another one!" The Doctor points before he runs to try and catch it.

"Taxi!" shrieks Donna

They stumble into the road in their effort to catch the driver's attention, but again, it just drives straight past.  
"Oi!" Snorts Donna, furious

"There's one!" I run next to the Doctor, waving for attention. And again, it ignores us.

"Oi" Gasps Donna

"Do you have this effect on everyone? Why aren't they stopping?" the Doctor asks Donna.

"They think I'm in fancy dress." She moans

Another taxi drives past, the driver hooting his horn.

"Stay off the scotch darlin'!" he yells and Donna huffs, indignantly

"They think I'm drunk"

Two guys in their car yell out of the window as they drive past.

"You're fooling no-one, mate!" they laugh

my hand covers the smile of surprise and laughter on my face

"They think I'm in drag!" Donna shrieks

The Doctor looks Donna up and down appraisingly, and she gives him a withering glare.

"Hold on, hold on." He puts his fingers between his lips and whistles, long and piercing, causing Donna and I wince and cover our ears. However, it attracts the attention of a taxi, which grinds to a halt before us. The Doctor opens the door for us, and Donna and I clamor into the backseat, and he sits in the front

"Saint Mary's in Chiswick, just off Hayden Road. It's an emergency, I'm getting married! Just... hurry up!" Donna screeches at the driver

"You know it'll cost you, sweetheart? Double rates today." The driver retorts

"Oh, my God!" She groans "Have either of you got any money?"

"No, sorry." I wince, having forgotten my jacket with my money in the Tardis.

"Um... no. And you?" the Doctor responds

"Pockets!" Donna yells, gesturing wildly to her dress

The taxi screeches to a halt and the driver yells at us until we get out, out. The Doctor slams the door.

"And that goes double for your mother!" shrieks Donna as the taxi drives off.


	3. Chapter 3

_"And that goes double for your mother!" shrieks Donna as the taxi drives off._

"I'll have him. I've got his number. I'll have him. Talk about the Christmas Spirit." Snarls Donna

"Is it Christmas?" The Doctor asks, surprised, and our gazes meet for half a second, remembering our most recent Christmas, with Wolfe.

"Well, duh. Maybe not on Mars, but here it's Christmas Eve." Donna scoffs as the Doctor looks away.

She hits him, "Phone box!"

We rush towards it.

"We can reverse the charges!" Donna grins as she picks it up

"How come you're getting married on Christmas Eve?" I ask, around the lump in my throat

"Can't bear it. I hate Christmas. Honeymoon in Morocco. Sunshine, lovely.  
"What's the operator? I've not done this in years. What do you dial? 100?" she asks us, clearly annoyed

"Just... just call the direct." The Doctor says as he sonics the machine. The dial tone buzzes on the end of the receiver.

"What did you do?" Demands Donna

" Something... Martian." He smiles at me "Now, phone. I'll get money!" He sprints to the nearest cash machine.

I follow him, and try not to laugh because the man currently using it in front of him is being aggravatingly slow, and my poor, impatient Doctor is hopping from foot to foot.

I can hear Donna leaving a message on the phone.

"Mum, get off the phone and listen. I'm in..." she looks around "Oh, my God... I dunno where I am! It's... it's a street. And there's WH Smith... but it's definitely Earth…."

The Doctor is still waiting to use the cash machine, growing more agitated by the second. Finally the man in front of us leaves. The Doctor darts forwards, casting a furtive look about him before using his sonic screwdriver to retrieve cash from the machine. Donna leaves the phone box, out of breath. She approaches a woman at random on the street. "Excuse me... I'm begging you. I'm getting married, I really am and I'm late and I just need to borrow a tenner and I'll pay you back I promise and it's Christmas."

"We ought to keep her from begging." I sigh, walking forward, but the we stop, our eyes caught by a row of masked Santa's playing trumpets a short distance away.

"Doctor, don't they seem suspiciously like the Santa's that tried to kill me and Mickey a while back?' I ask him

"Taxi!" Donna yells and a taxi pulls up beside her, she converses with the driver for a few seconds before shouting back to the Doctor and I

"Thanks for nothing, spaceman! I'll see you in Court." She climbs into the taxi and it drives away. The driver is a masked Santa.

"Donna!" I yell, but they've gone. The Doctor looks back at the Santa's playing the trumpets. One of them lowers his trumpet ominously. Now all three of them are held like weapons. The Doctor sonics the cash machine causing notes to fly everywhere, grabs my hand and there is mad scramble and confusion as people run around trying to catch the money and stuff it into their pockets. The Doctor and I run back in the direction of the Tardis.

"She really is a handful that one isn't she?" I pant "And using Santa's as what are they called?"

"Pilot fish." The Doctor answers

"Pilot Fish is a really common idea isn't it?"

We hurry into the Tardis, the Doctor grabbing his hammer and he starts up the Tardis, banging on various buttons

"Rose watch the monitor!" the Doctor yells as he traces the taxi's progress.

Sparks fly from the Tardis console and it tilts dangerously.

"Is this Normal?" I shout to the Doctor as he hits it with his hammer

"Behave!" He shouts at the Tardis

"Rose I need you to take these." He hands me a bunch of string "And attach them to the console. When I say "Now" I need you to press the big green button Okay?"

"Okay!" I yell,

He then stumbles over to the doors, string between teeth, and throws it open. The Tardis is in line with the taxi, zooming along beside it on the motorway. Donna stares at him, hands pressed against the window.

"Open the door!" The Doctor yells as I watch anxiously on the monitor

"Do you what?" She shouts back

"Open the door!"

"I can't, it's locked!"

"Rose come here, bring the sonic!" yells the Doctor and I run over and lean over him to sonic the door.

Donna pushes the window down.

"Get back to the console!" the Doctor yells at the same time Donna tells us "The Santa's a Robot!"

"Donna, open the door." The Doctor orders again

"What for?" She demands

"You've got to jump!" He yells

"I'm not bleedin' flip jumping, I'm supposed to be getting married!"

The Doctor pulls on the string, causing random explosions from the console once more and the Tardis bangs the roof of a car before pulling itself back in line with the taxi.

I shriek as sparks hit my arms, from the console. Doctor struggles to regain his balance

"Listen to me, you've got to jump."

"I'm not jumping on a motorway." Donna stubbornly responds

"Whatever that thing is, it needs you. And whatever it needs you for, it's not good. Now, come on!"

"I'm in my wedding dress!" Shrieks Donna

"Yes! You look lovely! Come on!" The Doctor yells back, exasperated

Breathing heavily with fear, Donna opens the door and positions herself ready to jump. The Doctor holds out his arms to catch her.

"I can't do it." Whimpers Donna

"Trust me." The Doctor says

"Is that what you said to her? Your friend? The one you lost? Did she trust you?" Donna looks up at him and my heart aches in my chest, tears filling my eyes as memories of the Doctor holding Wolfe and her riding on his shoulders comes to mind.

"Yes, she did." The Doctor answers, sounding urgent "And she is _not_ dead. She is _so_ alive. Now, jump!"

So Donna, with a scream, jumps and lands on top of the Doctor in a heap on the floor.

"Rose now!" the Doctor orders and I slam my hand on the button, shutting the doors.

Smoke is billowing from the Tardis.

We land on the room of some high rise building, stumbling from the Tardis.

Donna walks out further, muttering about her wedding  
"What happened to your arm?" The Doctor asks and I notice one of the sparks has burned me pretty badly.

"Tardis exploding." I answer.

He leans down, and presses a kiss to the wound on my forearm, and a gentle glowing light comes from his lips, and when he pulls away, the mark is gone.

"How did you do that?" I gasp

"Time lord." He smiles at me. "Come on."

We walk over to Donna

"The funny thing is, for a spaceship, she doesn't really do that much flying. We'd better give her a couple of minutes. You all right?" He asks her

"Doesn't matter." Donna Shrugs

"Did we miss it?" I wince, feeling bad for the poor woman

"Yeah." Sighs Donna

"Well, you can book another date..." the Doctor offers

"Course we can." Donna nods

"Still got the honeymoon..." He continues

"It's just a holiday now." She sighs

"Yeah... yeah... sorry." He winces

"It's not your fault." Donna answers

"Oh! That's a change." The Doctor chuckles

"Wish we had a time machine. Then we could go back and get it right." She sighs

"... Yeah, yeah. But... even if I did, I couldn't go back on someone's personal timeline. Apparently." He sighs

Donna gives the Doctor a suspicious glance before going to sit on the edge of the roof. The Doctor and I sit next to her.

He removes his jacket and drapes it around her shoulders.

"God, you're skinny. This wouldn't fit a rat." Snorts Donna and I laugh

"Oh and you'd better put this on." He produces what looks like a wedding ring from his pocket.

"Oh, do you have to rub it in?" Moans Donna

"Those creatures can trace you. This is a bio-damper. Should keep you hidden."

He slips it onto her finger.

"With this ring, I thee bio-damp." He jokes and I smile, ignoring the twang in my heart

"For better or for worse." Donna chuckles and the Doctor smiles at her. "So, come on then. Robot Santas, what are they for?" She asks

"Ah, your basic robo-scavenger. The Father Christmas stuff is just a disguise. They're trying to blend in. I met them last Christmas." The Doctor answers

"Why, what happened then?" Donna asks and my mouth drops open

"... Great big spaceship? Hovering over London? You didn't notice?" Scoffs the Doctor

"I had a bit of a hangover." Shrugs Donna

I nudge the Doctor but he decides not to pursue this. He scans the landscape.

"I spent Christmas Day just over there, the Powell Estate. With Rose's family. Love Christmas with families, they're…well…" He pauses for a moment, lost in thought. "Still... gone now." He sighs

"Your friend... who was she?" Donna asks us

I open my mouth to answer when the Doctor, much more enthusiastic, responds "Question is, what do camouflaged robot mercenaries want with you? And how did you get inside the Tardis? I don't know..."

He contemplates her.

Donna rolls her eyes.

"What's your job?" He asks, pulling his sonic screwdriver from his jacket around Donna's shoulders

"I'm a secretary."

"It's weird, I mean, you're not special, you're not powerful, you're not connected, you're not clever, you're not important..." Mutters the Doctor

"Do you ever just want to punch him in the face?" Donna asks me as she whacks the screwdriver aside. "Stop bleeping me!"

"What kind of secretary?" I ask

"I'm at HC Clements. It's where I met Lance. I was temping. I mean, it was all a bit posh really. I'd spent the last two years at a double glazing firm. Well, I thought, I'm never gonna fit in here. And then he made me a coffee. I mean, that just doesn't happen. Nobody gets the secretaries a coffee. And Lance, he's the head of HR! He don't need to bother with me! But he was nice, he was funny. And it turns out he thought everyone else was really snotty too. So that's how it started, me and him, one cup of coffee. That was it." Donna sighs

"When was this?" The Doctor asks

"Six months ago." Donna answers, with a dreamy look on her face

"Bit quick, to get married..." the Doctor comments and I poke him, trying to stop him before she gets mad, but she's still thinking about Lance. "Well... he insisted. And he nagged... and he nagged me... And he just wore me down and then finally, I just gave in."

"What does HC Clements do?" I ask

"Oh, security systems, you know... entry codes, ID cards, that sort of thing. If you ask me, it's a posh name for "locksmiths".

"Keys..." mutters the Doctor

"Anyway, enough of my CV. Come on, it's time to face the consequences. Oh, this is gonna be so shaming. You can do the explaining, Martian-boy."

"Yeah. I'm not from Mars." The Doctor tells her

The Doctor stands and lends her a hand to help her up, before turning to help me.

"Oh, I had this great big reception all planned. Everyone's gonna be heartbroken." She mutters

We head back into the Tardis and land at Donna's reception.

It looks as though everyone has decided to go on with the reception without Donna. "Merry Christmas Everybody" blares out at full volume, everyone is dancing, drinking, eating and laughing.

As we walk in, Donna looks around at the merriment, thunderstruck. She folds her arms. Sylvia spots her first and freezes. The rest of the room soon follows suit until all is silent and all eyes are on us.

"You had the reception without me?" Donna demands

"Donna... what happened to ya?" asks a man in the front, presumably Lance

"You had the reception without me?" Donna's voice is painfully high pitched

There's an awkward pause.


	4. Chapter 4

_"You had the reception without me?" Donna's voice is painfully high pitched. There's an awkward pause._

"Hello! I'm the Doctor." The Doctor grins "And this is Rose." He gestures to me.

"They had the reception without me." Donna says to us, in shock

"Yes, I gathered." The Doctor answers

"Well, it was all paid for, why not?" a nasally woman says, and I immediately dislike her

"Thank you, Nerys." Donna answers, sarcastically

"So that's Nerys." I whisper to the Doctor as a silver-haired woman approaches Donna

"Well, what were we supposed to do? I got your silly little message in the end: "I'm on Earth"? Very funny. What the hell happened? How did you do it? I mean, what's the trick because I'd love to know..." she says and suddenly the whole room starts talking at the same time until all we can hear is an incomprehensible babble of voices, so Donna bursts into tears, at which their anger melts into pity. Lance hugs her and she cries into his shoulder. Everyone applauds, and Donna winks at the us through her fake tears. I look at the Doctor to see him smirk.

The reception party continues as before, except now Donna has joined in with the dancing. The Doctor and I wander a bit further away towards the bar.

He smiles slightly as he watches her.

"Rose, can I borrow your phone?"

"I don't have one on me, remember." I answer

"Right." He looks around "Hello, sir may I borrow your phone a minute?"

"Yes, of course." The man nods and hands it over.

The Doctor, putting on his glasses, does a WAP search for H C Clements. He casts a furtive look around the room before using his sonic screwdriver to speed the process up; the result "Sole Prop. Torchwood" is displayed on the screen.

"Doctor what's that mean?" I ask as he closes the phone and gives it back to the man, memories now seeming to flood back to him. The music becomes more prominent, and the Doctor doesn't respond, but his eyes drift to the dance floor. I follow his gaze and see a young girl dancing with her father, both of them laughing.

The Doctor swallows and looks away.

"Come on Doctor." I take his hand and lead him onto the dance floor.

We're painfully underdressed but no one seems to mind.

His arms loop around my waist, and mine his neck. I lay my head down on his chest.

"I miss her. It's like a part of our adventures are missing." I whisper to him, and I feel him nod

"I know. Everything…everything reminds me of her. Including you." He whispers back, laughing emptily "She looks just like you."

"She has your eyes."

We sway in silence for a couple of seconds.

"We need to look at what happened to Donna." He mutters in my ear a couple moments later, and I am starting to understand his methods. He focuses on the task in front of him to hide away his pain. That's why he travels everywhere.

He starts directing our dancing towards a cameraman in the corner.

"Hello" the Doctor grins at the man, who looks up, startled.

"Can I watch the ceremony? You recorded it yeah?"

"I taped the whole thing, they've all had a look. They said: "Sell it to You've Been Framed". I said: "more like the News". Here we are..."

He plays the tape, the camera is zoomed in on Donna's face as she seemingly disintegrates into golden particles with a scream.

I stare at it in confusion when the Doctor gasps

"Can't be! Play it again?"

"Clever, mind! Good trick, I'll give her that. I was clapping." The camera man snorts

We watch the video gain, the Doctor's brow furrowed incredulously.

"But that looks like... Huon Particles!" He says to me

"What's that?" I ask

"That's impossible, that's... ancient! Huon energy doesn't exist anymore, not for billions of years! So old that..."

His eyes grow wide and he whips his head around to look at Donna

"...it can't be hidden by a biodamper!" He gasps

I run to the nearest window, the Doctor following me, and sure enough, there are the Santas, making their way slowly to the house.

"Come on."

We rush back to Donna.

"Donna! Donna, they've found you." The Doctor warns her, tugging her from the dance floor.

"But you said I was safe." Donna answers, her eyes wide with terror

"The biodamper doesn't work." He explains

"We've got to get everyone out." I say, quickly to the Doctor

"Oh, my God, it's all my family..." Donna looks around, panicked

"Out the back door!" He grabs my hand and Donnas and we run to the back door only to be confronted with two of the Santa's.

"Maybe not." The Doctor announces and we run back inside.

I dart over to another window and see more Santa's.

"We're trapped." I announce, and the Doctor comes to look over my shoulder.

The Santa's are holding some kind of remote control, which they raise. "Doctor…?" I ask tentatively as he looks around, before freezing at the sight of a Christmas tree in the middle of the room.

"Christmas trees..." He mutters and I remember the tree that nearly killed Mum and I

"What about them?" Demands Donna

"They kill!" He runs into the crowd, and I follow closely "Get away from the tree!" He shouts

"Don't touch the trees!" I yell

"Get away from the Christmas trees, everyone get away from them!"

Donna ushers a group of little girls away from the Christmas tree.

"Out! Lance, tell them!" She yells

"Stay away from the tree!" I yell, herding people away with the Doctor as he yells

"Stay away from the tree!"

"Oh, for God's sakes, the couple's a pair of idiots!" shouts the silver haired woman "Why? What's a Christmas tree gonna... oh!" She trails off as she observes the baubles float away from the tree in some kind of weird dance. We watch them mistrustfully as they hover above everyone's heads. Everyone chatters excitedly until they start dive-bombing around the room and causing small explosions. Everyone starts screaming and running for cover. Donna pulls Lance down to hide under a table with her.

"Rose come on!" The Doctor grabs my hand with one hand and pulls out his sonic with the other, running to the abandoned DJ stand. The Santa's are lined up opposite us.

"Oi! Santa!" The Doctor yells into the microphone "Word of advice: if you're attacking a man with a sonic screwdriver... don't let him near the sound system!" He holds his sonic screwdriver next to the amplifiers and it makes a horrible, high-pitched screeching sound. Everyone covers their ears, myself included, and the Santa's vibrate violently until they fall to pieces. The Doctor puts away his sonic screwdriver and then runs to examine the mechanics of the Santa's. Everyone begins to get up off the floor, a chaotic murmur of people checking on each other fills the room

"All right, Stan... you'll be all right. It's all over."

"Michael? Connie?"

The Doctor picks up one of the consoles, which the Santa's were using

"What is that Doctor?" I ask, walking over

"Oh Senita, do something useful." Donna sighs,

"But what is it?" Shrieks the grey haired woman "What were they?"

"Just stop wittering, just help 'em." Donna shouts at her

"Look at that, remote control for the decorations" He shows me the hand held consoles "but there's a second remote control for the robots." He examines the head of one "They're not scavengers anymore. I think someone's taken possession."

"Never mind all that" Donna stomps over "You're a doctor, people have been hurt."

"Nah, they wanted you alive, look," he throws her a bauble "they're not active now."

"All I'm saying, you two could help."

"Gotta think of the bigger picture..." he mutters, holding the droids head to his ear

"Donna I'm sure-" I start

"There's still a signal!" And with that, The Doctor takes off.

I jump up to follow him, and I hear someone ask Donna

"Donna... who are they?"

Donna races after me, and we catch up to the Doctor outside where he stands, scanning the helmet with his sonic screwdriver.

"There's someone behind this, directing the robo-force." He explains to us

"But why is it me? What have I done?" Donna asks us, sounding very miserable

"If we find the controller, we'll find that out. Oh!" He raises his sonic screwdriver into the air.

"It's up there. Something in the sky."

We all look up, but we can't see anything.

"and I've lost the signal. Donna, we've got to get to your office, H C Clements. I think that's where it all started. Lance, is this Lance?"

He darts off without waiting for an answer.

"Doctor!" I call, hurrying after him.

He hails a taxi and hops inside. I pant as I sit beside him in the seat.

"Doctor you better not be going without us!" Donna yells, dragging Lance by the shirt cuff towards us.

"Course not. Lance I take it? Hop in the front and we'll get going." The Doctor responds, clearly impatient.

"Doctor there isn't enough room for all of us and my dress and I wont have it getting wrinkled!" Donna shrieks as Lance hurries into the front seat.

"Oh come on!" Groans the Doctor, who grabs me around the waist and tugs me onto his lap.

I squeak in surprise as he does so, and for a moment Donna purses her lips at us, unabashedly looking at me.

I blush as the Doctor yells "Get in there's enough room!"

Donna clamors into the car, all of us crammed and we head to H C Clements.

We arrive at H C Clements moments later, and we run into the building and then into Donna's office. The Doctor goes straight to a computer. "This might just be a locksmiths, but H C Clements was brought up twenty three years ago by the Torchwood Institute."

"Who are they?" Donna asks

"They were behind the battle of Canary Wharf." The Doctor explains, his eyes flashing to me. There's a blank silence from Donna.

"…Cyberman invasion." I add, and She looks at us inquiringly.

"Skies over London full of Daleks?" The Doctor tries

"Oh, I was in Spain." Donna answers and we stare at her in surprise

"They had Cybermen in Spain." I add

"Scuba diving." Shrugs Donna

"That big picture, Donna, you keep on missing it." The Doctor says before he darts over to another computer "Torchwood was destroyed, but H C Clements stayed in business. I think... someone else came in and took over…" he whacks the monitor "The operation."

"But what do they want with me?" Donna asks

"Somehow you've been dosed with Huon energy. And that's a problem because Huon energy hasn't existed since the Dark times. The only place you'd find a Huon particle now is a remnant in the heart of the Tardis. See?" Now all three of us look at him blankly.

"That's what happened. Say... that's the Tardis" He shows us a mug

"And that's you, Donna." He picks up pencil "The particles inside you activated. The two sets of particles magnetised and whap!" he throws pencil into mug "You were pulled inside the Tardis

"I'm a pencil inside a mug?" Donna asks, weakly

"Yes, you are. 4H. Sums you up. Lance? What was H C Clements working on? Anything top secret? Special operations? Do not enter?" Grins the Doctor

"I don't know, I'm in charge of personnel. I wasn't project manager." Lance answers back, defensively. I look at him questioningly for a moment while the Doctor holds his sonic screwdriver to the screen and it instantly displays the page he's looking for.

"Why am I even explaining myself? What the hell are we talking about?" Demands Lance

"They make keys, that's the point. And look at this..." he shows us A 3D plan of the building on the screen "We're on the third floor."

"Doctor-?" I start, needing him to explain this, but he's already taking off again

"Come on, to the lift!"

As we wait for the lift to arrive, the Doctor explains to us what's going on

"Underneath reception, there's a basement, yes?"

The doors ping open and the Doctor goes inside and looks at the controls. We follow as he announces "Then how come when you look on the lift, there's a button marked "lower basement"? There's a whole floor, which doesn't exist on the official plans. So what's down there, then?" he looks like a child, all lit up with excitement and mystery

"Are you telling me this building's got a secret floor?" Lance demands.

"No, I'm showing you this building's got a secret floor." The Doctor grins

 **Hello Everyone! Super, super sorry for how long its been since I last updated! I've been crazy busy! I will try to post at minimum once a week from now on!**

 **Lots of Love!**


	5. Chapter 5

_"_ _No, I'm showing you this building's got a secret floor." The Doctor grins_

"It needs a key." Donna says, flatly

"I don't." The Doctor snorts, and he sonics the lock.

"Right then, thanks you two, we can handle this. See you later." He says to Lance and Donna, nudging her from the lift.

"No chance, Martian. You're the man who keeps saving my life, I ain't letting you out of my sight." She stomps back into the lift

"Going down." Grins the Doctor at me

"Lance?" Donna sharply says to her fiancée, who is standing awkwardly outside the lift doors.

"Maybe I should go to the police." He says, backing up a half step

"Inside." Donna orders and Lance meekly joins us in the lift.

"To honour and obey?" the Doctor whispers to Lance

"Tell me about it, mate." He whispers back

"Oi!" Donna and I chorus together as the doors close and the lift descends.

The lift pings when it reaches the lower basement and we step out into a long, dark, dank corridor, dimly lit with an eerie green light.

"Where are we? Well, what goes on down here?" Donna demands

"Let's find out." the Doctor starts down the hall, leaving us to trail behind.

"Do you think Mr. Clements knows about this place?" lance asks and the Doctor chuckles

"The mysterious H C Clements? I think he's part of it." He turns his head, his eye is caught by something, "Oh, look, transport."

I laugh as he tugs two electric scooters out.

"Come on, lets go." The Doctor gets on one and so does Donna.

I step onto the back of the Doctor's scooter and Lance clings to Donna. We start trundling down the corridor, all of us looking extremely comical. Donna looks at the Doctor and I and bursts out laughing. We join in, but Lance doesn't get it, and he just looks at us in confusion. We come to a door, which says "Torchwood - authorised personnel only"

"Look here!" The Doctor slows down and we abandon our scooters.

The Doctor and I turn the wheel that will open the door to reveal a ladder and peers upwards.

"Wait here. Just need to get my bearings. Don't..." he points at us sternly "... do anything." He starts up the ladder.

"You'd better come back." I call up to him

"I couldn't get rid of you if I tried." He grins down at me, and Donna smiles at me, and I look away under her knowing gaze.

"Donna... have you thought about this? Properly? I mean, this is serious! What the hell are we gonna do?" Lance sounds very nervous, but Donna isn't really listening

"Oh, I thought July." She smiles brightly and then turns her attention back to the Doctor climbing the ladder, and disappearing at the top.

A couple moments later, the Doctor starts back down the ladder and as he jumps off the last few rungs he announces

"Thames flood barrier! Right on top of us. Torchwood snuck in and built this place underneath."

"What, there's like a secret base hidden underneath a major London landmark?" Donna asks, incredulous

"I know! Unheard of." He nudges me, and I laugh, remembering our first adventure, where the secret base was under the Eye.

We walk down the corridor and enter some kind of laboratory, full of massive test tubes bubbling away and chemistry equipment.

"Oh, look at this! Stunning! Particle extrusion!" Gasps the Doctor, wandering around.

"What does it do?" I ask

"Particle extrusion. Hold on..." He darts over to one of the bubbling tubes and taps it "Brilliant. They've been manufacturing Huon particles. In case my people got rid of Huons, they unraveled the atomic structure."

"Your people? Who are they? What company do you represent?" Lance demands, utterly lost

"Oh, I'm a freelancer. But this lot are rebuilding them. They've been using the river! Extruding them through a flat hydrogen base so they've got the end result, Huon particles in liquid form." He picks up a small test tube full of the Huon particles."

"And that's what's inside me?" Donna asks, fearfully

The Doctor gently turns a knob at the top of the test tube, making the contents glow gold, and Donna with it.

"Oh, my God!" gasps Donna

"Because the particles are inert, they need something living to catalyse inside and that's you. Saturate the body and then... Ha!" We all jump at the Doctor's shout, his enthusiasm practically insane again. "The wedding! Yes, you're getting married, that's it! Best day of your life, walking down the aisle, oh, your body's a battleground! There's a chemical war inside! Adrenaline, acetylcholine, wham go the endorphins, oh you're cooking! Yeah, you're like a walking oven! A pressure cooker, a microwave, all churning away, the particles reach boiling point, SHAZAM!" He yells and then she slaps him. I giggle as the Doctor looks at her, indignantly

"What did I do this time?"

"Are you enjoying this?" Donna shouts in his face

The Doctor relaxes, ashamed of himself. Donna walks towards him, breathing heavily in her distress.

"Right, just tell me, these particles, are they dangerous? Am I safe?"

"Yes…" The Doctor answers, not very convincingly

"Doctor... if your lot got rid of Huon particles... why did they do that?" Donna asks, quietly and I know from the Doctor's face its not good

"Because they were deadly." He answers, gently

"Oh, my God..." Donna begins to panic and the Doctor frantically tries to calm her, while I feel helpless just standing there.

"I'll sort it out, Donna. Whatever's been done to you, I'll reverse it. I'm not about to lose someone else."

My heart wrenches in my chest when he says that.

He thinks it's his fault that Wolfe is trapped in the alternate universe.

I open my mouth to say something when we are distracted by crashes and bangs that seem to come from all around us.

"Oh, she is long since lost." A scathing and terrifying voice calls as one of the walls slides upwards to reveal a secret chamber with an enormous round hole in the floor.

"I have waited so long, hibernating at the edge of the universe..." Lance, eyes widened in horror, hurriedly retreats through the door. "... until the secret heart was uncovered and called out to waken!" the voice continues and I notice the walls of the chamber are lined with the armed robots wearing black hoods.

"Someone's been digging... oh, very Torchwood. Drilled by laser. How far down does it go?" the Doctor asks, peering into the hole.

"Down and down, all the way to the centre of the Earth!" cackles the voice

"Really? Seriously? What for?" Donna snorts

"Dinosaurs." I say, shuffling forwards

"What?" Donna turns look at me, bewildered

"Dinosaurs?" I suggest again

"What are you on about, dinosaurs?" The Doctor demands

"That film, Under the Earth, with dinosaurs. Trying to help!" I retort

"That's not helping." The Doctor answers, and I huff

"Such a sweet couple." Sighs the voice and I blush, immediately.

I realize that the Doctor are definitely not a couple…but we're not exactly just friends anymore either.

This thought doesn't seem to have reached the Doctor who is now talking to the voice again.

"Only a madman talks to thin air and trust me, you don't want to make me mad. Where are you?" He demands

"High in the sky, floating so high on Christmas Night." It answers

"I didn't come all this way to talk on the intercom! Come on, let's have a look at you!" he coaxes

"Who are you with such command?" taunts the voice

"I'm the Doctor." He hisses and I smile

"Prepare your best medicines, doctor-man, for you will be sick at heart." It gloats

"Suddenly a giant, red, half spider half woman, with dozens of eyes teleports herself into the chamber, snarling and growling.

I recoil in surprise, as does Donna, but the Doctor is impressed

"The Racnoss... but that's impossible, you're one of the Racnoss!" gasps the Doctor,

"Empress of the Racnoss." She boasts

"If you're the Empress, where's the rest of the Racnoss? Or... are you the only one?" The Doctor asks

"Such a sharp mind." Complements the Racnoss

"That's it, the last of your kind." He turns to us "The Racnoss come from the Dark Times, billions of years ago, billions. They were carnivores, omnivores, they devoured whole planets."

"Racnoss are born starving, is that our fault?" the Racnoss defends

"They eat people?" Donna demands, taking this situation quite well for someone who's never dealt with aliens before.

"H C Clements, did he wear those... those erm, black and white shoes?" The Doctor asks, awkwardly

"He did! We used to laugh, we used to call him the fat cat in spats." Donna laughs and the Doctor, grim faced, nods and points to a web on the ceiling.

We look and a pair of black and white shoes still attached to the unfortunate H C Clements can just be seen poking out.

"Oh, my God!" Donna gasps, her hand flying to her mouth

"Mm, my Christmas dinner." The Empress cackles.

"You shouldn't even exist! Way back in history, the Fledgling Empires went to war against the Racnoss, they were wiped out."

Lance appears on a balcony above the Racnoss, unbeknownst to her. I open my mouth, having spotted him, but Lance motions for us to stay silent.

"Except for me." Hisses the Racnoss

"But that's what I've got inside me, that Huon energy thing." The Racnoss begins to turn towards Lance "Oi! Look at me, lady, I'm talking." Donna shrieks and the Racnoss turns back to her "Where do I fit in? How comes I get all stacked up with these Huon particles?" Lance descends the stairs, axe at the ready. "Look at me, you! Look me in the eye and tell me."

"The bride is so feisty!" The Empress acknowledges

"Yes, I am! And I don't know what you are, you big... thing. But a spider's just a spider and an axe is an axe! Now, do it!" Donna shrieks and

Lance swings the axe, the Empress swings around and hisses at the last moment, then he stops. He glances round at Donna and starts to laugh and the Empress laughs with him.

"That was a good one. Your face!" Lance says, between laughs and the Doctor and I look at each other, past Donna in dismay

"Lance is funny." The Empress smiles

"What?" Demands Donna

"I'm sorry." The Doctor mutters to her

"Sorry for what? Lance, don't be so stupid! Get her!" Donna orders and I wince

"God, she's thick." Snorts Lance and Donna looks right back at him, so confused.

"Months I had to put up with her. Months. A woman who can't even point to Germany on a map." He continues

"I don't understand." Donna whimpers

"How did you meet him?" I ask

"In the office…." She murmurs to me, her eyes tearing slightly

"He made you coffee." The Doctor says as if that explains it

"What?" Donna repeats looking between us.

"Every day, I made you coffee." Lance announces, proudly

"You had to be dosed with liquid particles over six months." Explains the Doctor

"He was poisoning me?" whispers Donna

"It was all there in the job title, the Head of Human Resources." Explains the Doctor

"This time, it's personnel." He and the Racnoss laugh.

"But... we were getting married." Donna looks up at Lance, heartbroken

"Well, I couldn't risk you running off. I had to say yes. And then I was stuck with a woman who thinks the height of excitement is a new flavour Pringle. Oh, I had to sit there and listen to all that yap yap yap..."oh, Brad and Angelina... is Posh pregnant?" X Factor, Atkins Diet, Feng Shui, split ends, text me, text me, text me, dear God, the never ending fountain of fat, stupid trivia." Donna listens to this torrent of abuse with an expression of increasing hurt and confusion. "I deserve a medal."

"Oh, is that what she's offered you? The Empress of the Racnoss? What are you? Her consort?" the Doctor yells, angry

"It's better than a night with her." Lance replies, loftily

"But I love you." Donna says, plaintively and my heart breaks for her "That's what made it easy. It's like you said, Doctor, the big picture, what's the point of it all if the Human Race is nothing? That's what the Empress can give me. The chance to... go out there. To see it. The size of it all. I think you understand that, don't you, Doctor? You and your girlfriend, out seeing everything. That's all I wanted."

I blink in surprise.

"Who is this little physician and his assistant?" the Racnoss asks

"What she said, Martian." Lance answers, and I open my mouth the announce that I am _not_ his assistant, but the Doctor says

"Oh, I'm sort of... homeless. But the point is, what's down here? The Racnoss are extinct. What's gonna help you four thousand miles down? That's just the molten core of the Earth, isn't it?"

"I think he wants us to talk." Lance mocks and I glare at him

"I think so too." Nods the empress

"Well, tough! All we need is Donna!" Lance announces

"Kill this chattering little doctor-man and his assistant!"

The Doctor puts himself in front of me but Donna steps in front of us.

"Don't you hurt him!" Donna shrieks

"No, no, it's all right." The Doctor whispers

"No, I won't let them!" Donna responds

"At arms!" the Empress yells and the robots point their guns at the Doctor and I.

"Ah, now. Except." The Doctor starts

"Take aim!"

"Well, I just want to point out the obvious..." Continues the Doctor

"They won't hit the bride. They're such very good shots." The empress responds

"Just... just... just... hold on, just a tick, just a tiny... just a little... tick. If you think about it, the particles activated in Donna and drew her inside my spaceship. So, reverse it... the spaceship comes to her." He once again tweaks the tube of Huon particles, which causes both the particles in the tube and inside Donna to glow.

"Fire!"

I tackle the Doctor as the robots fire their guns.


	6. Chapter 6

_"Fire!" I tackle the Doctor as the robots fire their guns._

I look up, and realize the Tardis has materialized around us.

"Hello." The Doctor grins from under me

"Hello!" I grin back

"Oi! You two let's go!" Donna yells, and we scramble to our feet

"Off we go!" Announces the Doctor as he whacks buttons on the console.

We can hear the empress shrieking as we fly off

"My key! My key!"

"Oh, you know what I said before about time machines? Well, I lied. And now we're gonna use it." The Doctor announces and a frown comes on my face at the look in his eyes.

He looks unhinged, as if he's desperately trying to focus on something, anything.

"We need to find out what the Empress of the Racnoss is digging up. If something's buried at the planet core, it must've been there since the beginning. That's just brilliant. Molto bene! I've always wanted to see this. Donna, Rose, we're going further back than I've ever been before!" he continues bounding around the Tardis, but I notice Donna's shoulders are shuddering with the silent tears pouring down her cheeks.

I sit next to her, saying nothing but giving her some company.

Having arrived at its destination, the Tardis clicks quietly as it cools down. The Doctor peers around the console at the miserable Donna, and I.

"We've arrived... want to see?" He grins

"I s'pose." Donna sighs and I glare at the Doctor over his insensitivity. The Doctor swings the monitor round.

"Oh, that scanner's a bit small. Maybe your way's best." He is trying to cheer Donna up, but its not working

He goes to the door and waits for Donna "Come on."

Donna stands resignedly and joins him. I follow her

"No human's ever seen this. You two will be the first."

"All I want to see is my bed." Whimpers Donna

"Donna Noble, Rose Tyler, welcome to the creation of the Earth."

He opens the doors onto a spectacular sight. Donna's mouth falls open and so does mine.

The sun shines through beautiful coloured dust and gas clouds, enormous rocks floating around.

"We've gone back 4.6 billion years. There's no solar system, not yet. Only dust and rocks and gas." He points "That's the Sun over there, brand new. Just beginning to burn"

"Where's the Earth?" I ask

"All around us... in the dust."

"Puts the wedding in perspective. Lance was right. We're just... tiny." Donna sighs

"No, but that's what you do. The human race. Making sense out of chaos. Marking it out with weddings and Christmas and calendars. This whole process is beautiful, but only if it's being observed."

"So, I came out of all this?" I murmur

"Isn't that brilliant?" He grins down at me, somewhat proudly.

A massive chunk of rock floats lazily past the Tardis

"I think that's the Isle of Wight." Donna chuckles and we laugh

"Eventually, gravity takes hold. Say, one big rock, heavier than the others, starts to pull other rocks towards it. All the dust and gas and elements get pulled in, everything, piling in until you get the..." The Doctor starts "Earth." Donna finishes

"But the question is... what was that first rock?" He asks us as a star shaped rock emerges through the clouds.

"Look." I gasp

"The Racnoss..." the Doctor whispers, eyes widening as the rocks, the particles of dust and gas, they're all zooming towards the Racnoss as though drawn by a magnetic force. The Doctor rushes back to the console and turns a wheel frantically.

"Hold on, the Racnoss are hiding from the war! What's it doing?" He asks,

"Exactly what you said." Donna answers,

The Doctor rushes past us and back to the door again

"Oh, they didn't just bury something at the centre of the Earth... they became the centre of the Earth. The first rock." He gasps

The Tardis suddenly shudders violently and we are nearly knocked off our feet.

"What was that?" I demand

"Trouble." The Doctor slams the doors shut.

We to keep our balance as the Tardis shudders and tips, groaning horribly

"What the hell's it doing?" Donna shrieks

"Remember that little trick I pulled, particles pulling particles. It works in reverse, they're pulling us back!" The Doctor desperately tries to pilot the Tardis but it is beyond his control  
"Well, can't you stop it? Hasn't it got a handbrake? Can't you reverse or warp or beam or something?" Donna demands

"Backseat driver." The Doctor whines to me before he gasps "Oh! Wait a minute!"

He pulls out some weird metal thing from underneath the console.

"The extrapolator! Can't stop us, but it should give us a good bump!" He grins at us, madly

We rematerialize and the Doctor whacks the Extrapolator, yelling "Now!" and we disappear and reappear again.

We rush out of the Tardis

"We're about 200 yards to the right. Come on!" he urges us and we run. We arrive at the doorway leading up to the Thames Flood Barrier.

"But what do we do?" Donna pants as the Doctor takes a stethoscope out of his pocket and listens to the door with it

"I don't know! I make it up as I go along! But trust me, I've got a history." The Doctor answers and I smile

"But I still don't understand. I'm full of particles, but what for?" Donna asks

"There's a Racnoss web at the centre of the Earth, but my people unravelled their power source. The Huon particles ceased to exist but the Racnoss are stuck."

Robots grab Donna and I, covering our mouths so we can't scream and drags us away. I thrash and fight, but the Doctor doesn't notice, too wrapped up in talking.

We're dragged back to the Racnoss.

"Oh, hello. Back so soon?" She taunts us. "Why have you brought back the useless one?" She sighs, looking at me. "Put them with the groom."

We're carried up to a bunch of webbing and tied there, next to Lance.

"I hate you." Donna snarls at him

"Yeah, I think we've gone a bit beyond that now, sweetheart." Lance responds

"My golden couple. Together at last, your awful wedded life. Tell me; do you want to be released?" The Racnoss asks

"Yes!" we all chorus

"You're supposed to say "I do"." Pouts the Racnoss

"Ha. No chance." Lance answers

"Say it!" Shrieks the Racnoss

"I do." Mutters Lance

"I do." Donna responds

"I don't." cackles the Empress "Activate the particles. Purge every last one!"

Donna and now Lance both begin to glow.

"And release!"

The particles extract themselves from Donna and Lance and zoom down the hole in the ground.

"The secret heart unlocks. And they will waken from their sleep of Ages." Announces the Racnoss

"Who will? What's down there?" Donna frantically asks, trying to escape.

"How thick are you?" Snorts Lance before the Empress answers

"My children, the long lost Racnoss. Now will be born to feast on flesh!" The chirping of the spiders and the patters of their feet can now be heard coming up the hole. I whimper. I hate spiders

"The web-star shall come to me. My babies will be hungry. They need sustenance. Perish the web." She orders

"Use them! Not me! Use them!" Lance shouts

"Oh, my funny little Lance! But you are quite impolite to your lady-friends. The Empress does not approve." Snarls the Empress

The web around Lance loosens and he tumbles down the hole.

"Laaaaaance!" shrieks Donna

"Harvest the humans! Reduce them to meat! My children are climbing towards me and none shall stop them!" the Empress shrieks before she hisses and turns to a robot whom had just run up next to her. "So you might as well unmask, my clever little doctor-man."

"Oh well. Nice try. I've got you, Donna, Rose!" the Doctor removes his costume and points his sonic up at us and the web loosens.

"I'm gonna fall!" Donna screeches, and I grasp tightly onto the quickly loosening web

"You're gonna swing!" The Doctor orders.

Donna and I grab two ropes, made of the web, tightly and sure enough, we swing right over the hole on one of the stands of web and towards the Doctor.

"I've got ya!" the Doctor yells

Donna screams and swings right underneath the Doctor and smashes into the wall with a dull bang, and I follow suit quickly after.

The Empress smirks.

"... oh. Sorry." Winces the Doctor peering down at us

We're sprawled out on our backs below him.

"Thanks for nothing." Donna snorts while I glare at him

"The doctor-man amuses me." Announces the Empress

"Empress of the Racnoss, I give you one last chance. I can find you a planet. I can find you a place in the universe to coexist. Take that offer and end this now." The Doctor stands tall, facing her unflinching

"These men are so funny." Chuckles the Empress

"What's your answer?" Demands the Doctor as Donna and I get onto our feet

"Oh, I'm afraid I have to decline." She laughs.

"What happens next is your own doing" warns the Doctor, a dangerous look in his eye

"I'll show you what happens next." She hisses "At arms!" The robots raise their guns. "Take aim! And..."

"Relax." The Doctor says, quietly and all the robots go limp

"What did you do?" Donna gasps

"Guess what I've got, Donna?" He produces the remote control from one of his pockets "Pockets." He smiles

"How did that fit in there?" Donna gasps

"They're bigger on the inside." I explain to her

"Robo-forms are not necessary. My children may feast on Martian flesh." "Oh, but I'm not from Mars." The Doctor answers

"Then where?"

"My home planet is far away and long-since gone. But its name lives on. Gallifrey."

"They murdered the Racnoss!" Shrieks the Racnoss, angry

"I warned you. You did this." He produces a handful of baubles.

"No! No! Don't! No!" The Doctor throws several handfuls of the baubles into the air. Some surround the Empress and some smash into the walls of the corridor, destroying them and letting the water from the Thames rush though in torrents. Another bauble explodes causing a fire at the Empress' feet. She wails as water floods into the chamber and down the hole.

"My children!" shrieks the Empress, grief stricken and my heart aches for her.

The Doctor stands watching in silence, surrounded by fire and water, while the river swirls down the hole like it's a plughole.

"No! My children! My children!" She screams, not even noticing the fire consuming her.

"Doctor! You can stop now!" Donna yells, looking terrified, as water soaks all of us.

But the Doctor can't stop, he watches the Racnoss writhe and wail in agony with dark eyes, full of some horrible pain.

Tears pour down my cheeks as I watch another mother lose her child.

"Stop him, Rose! He's got to stop!" Donna begs me.

Blindly, I start rushing up a ladder to the Doctor.

I run over to him, and yank him towards me.

He looks at me, as if he barely sees me, his eyes so full of dark anger. "Doctor stop, please." I beg, and he looks back over at the screaming Racnoss

"Doctor I know you're mad that we lost Wolfe and I know it hurts because it hurts me to, but come on, we need to go. This is too far. Doctor, killing The Racnoss and her children wont bring Wolfe back, just stop, let's go…" I beg, and his eyes clear, he look at me, his eyes searching my face for something before he presses a kiss to my lips.

Short and simple, and impossibly fast, and then he's off again, down the ladder running to Donna

"Come on! Time I got you two out!"

We follow the Doctor down a corridor and up flight after flight of stairs, soaking wet.

"But what about the Empress?" Donna pants

"She's used up all her Huon energy, she's defenseless!" the Doctor answers as we continue up and up.

We have reached the top of the ladder and we clamber out into the night.

We watch the Empresses' ship collapse, shot down, The Doctor and Donna cheer.

"Just... there's one problem." Donna pants

"What's that?" The Doctor grins at her, as if he wasn't in some mad, dark hell a few moments ago

"We've drained the Thames."

The Doctor and I look over and sure enough, the Thames is completely emptied of water. The Doctor and Donna collapse into laughter once more, but I don't join in.

I look over at the burnt remains of the ship, feeling horribly remorseful.

"Come on, let's get you home." The Doctor says to Donna


	7. Chapter 7

_I look over at the burnt remains of the ship, feeling horribly remorseful. "Come on, let's get you home." The Doctor says to Donna_

We materialise across the road from Donna's house.

Donna steps outside, the Doctor and I waiting in the door.

"There we go. Told you she'd be all right. She can survive anything." The Doctor grins at Donna

"More than I've done." Donna retorts

"Nope! All the Huon particles have gone. No damage, you're fine." The Doctor announces after scanning her

"Yeah, but apart from that... I missed my wedding, lost my job and became a widow on the same day. Sort of."

"I couldn't save him." The Doctor whispers

"He deserved it." Donna answers, coldly and The Doctor raises his eyebrows. Donna's face softens.

"No, he didn't. I'd better get inside. They'll be worried."

"Best Christmas present they could have." I smile as I see Donna's parents embrace each other through the window.

"Oh, no, I forgot, you hate Christmas." I chuckle as I look back at her

"Yes, I do." Donna answers, firmly

"Even if it snows?" The Doctor tweaks a hidden switch on the Tardis and a ball of light shoots out of the top and explodes like a firework in the sky into softly falling snow. Donna laughs with delight.

"I can't believe you did that!"

"Oh, basic atmospheric excitation." He grins at her and she smiles back. "Merry Christmas." Donna chuckles

"And you. So... what will you do with yourself now?" I ask

"Not getting married for starters. And I'm not gonna temp anymore. I dunno... travel... see a bit more of planet Earth... walk in the dust. Just... go out there and do something."

"Well, you could always..." the Doctor glances at me, and I realize where he's going. I nod slightly

"What?" Donna asks

"... come with us... " the Doctor tentatively adds

"No." Donna answers, and the Doctor quickly responds, looking slightly hurt

"Okay."

"I can't..."

"No, that's fine." The Doctor answers and I can hear the false indifference in his voice.

"No, but really... everything we did today... do you two live your life like that?"

"... Not all the time." I answer

"I think you do. And I couldn't." Donna shakes her head

"But you've seen it out there. It's beautiful." I add

"And it's terrible. That place was flooding and burning and they were dying and you were stood there like... I don't know... a stranger. And then you made it snow. I mean, you scare me to death!" Donna shrieks at the Doctor, who stares at her in a dismayed silence for a moment.

"Well then." The Doctor stands, ready to leave

"Tell you what I will do though, Christmas dinner. Oh, come on."

"I don't do that sort of thing." The Doctor backs up quickly

"You did it last year, you said so. And you two might as well because Mum always cooks enough for twenty."

"Oh, all right then." I look at him in surprise "But you go first, better warn them. And...don't say I'm a Martian." he indicates to the Tardis "I just have to park her properly, she might drift off to the Middle Ages. I'll see you in a minute." He grabs my arm, pulls me inside and shuts the door.

I know we're not going back as we start dematerializing.

"Doctor! Doctor!" We hear Donna's piercing shout, so the Doctor stops the engines, runs over to the door and pops his head out.

"Blimey, you can shout."  
"Am I ever gonna see you again?"

"If I'm lucky."

"Just... promise me one thing, you keep her, you hear me?"

"What do you mean?" the Doctor asks

"Rose, you keep her because I don't think you would've stopped if it hadn't been for her today…and you need someone to stop you. You're lucky to have her."

"Yeah." The Doctor sighs, and I smile, unseen inside the Tardis

"Thanks then, Donna, good luck, and just... be magnificent." The Doctor adds

"I think I will, yeah.

The Doctor retreats back into the Tardis

"Doctor?" Donna calls again and the Doctor opens the door with mock exasperation

"Oh, what is it now?"

"That friend of yours... what was her name?" She asks, so quietly I almost didn't hear her

"Her name was Wolfe." He answers, sounding choked.

He closes the door for the last time, and I watch in silence as he trudges up to the console and slams his hand down on a button, sending us up, rather than dematerializing.

I watch his angry movements for a couple moments as we orbit the earth.

"Doctor."

He looks up at me

"You know it's not your fault. Wolfe made that decision."

"I knew." He mutters, eyes flashing furious

"Knew what?" I ask, walking closer as he leans on the console, tension in every fiber of his being.

"I knew!" He repeats

"Doctor-"

"Wolfe could see the future, bits and pieces of it, focused around us. All those times she saved you and I… The werewolf, her regeneration, and Canary Warf….She knew ahead of time, and I knew she did. I told her over and over not to, to stop her from hurting herself over us, but she wouldn't listen." He runs his hands down her face, as I stand in shocked silence "I knew that it wouldn't end well, but she was saving us when I couldn't..." He bows his head "Our daughter. I sacrificed our daughter for my life and yours." He whispers, still not looking at me.

"Doctor…it was still Wolfe's decision, and something tells me she wouldn't have stopped no matter how hard you tried. That was one of things that made Wolfe so special." I walk forward and gently tug him from the console so he is facing me, though he refuses to look me in the eye. "She wouldn't ever stand by and watch someone get hurt when she could take the blow, and if anyone ever tried to stop her she'd just ignore them. Do you know who she reminds me of?" I smile at him, my fingers sliding between his, before he inhales slightly and whispers

"Oh."

I smile at him "She may look like me, but she is _just_ like you, and if I know anything about you, and her, she'll never give up on finding her way back and neither will we."

His eyes meet mine, their deep brown color piercing mine.

Then he collides his mouth with mine again. This time it's not short and sweet, like our last nor loving and grateful like our first. This one is angry and red hot with passion. His hands clutch my clothes and my fingers rake through his hair as our mouths move against each other's. He yanks apart from me just as abruptly, leaving my lips tender, and my chest gasping for air.

He runs his hands through his hair, pacing away like mad, muttering to himself.

"I can't. I can't do this…I'm sorry I'm so sorry." He starts to leave the console room.  
"Bloody hell Doctor!" I yell, now angry, and he turns back to me "You've got to tell me right now, because I promised you forever, and I have no one left but you. So you tell me right now what we're going to be. Either I'm your companion, and you never kiss me again, or I'm your girlfriend, and then we'll take it from there but I wont have you snogging me whenever you feel like it only to rip away and act like it never happened! So you tell me right now which one it'll be." I say "What do you want Doctor?"

"It's so complicated…"

"No its not!"

"Rose…I don't want to go back to…what we were but I-I'm a Timelord…I live so much longer than you…I-I can't…"

"Didn't losing Wolfe teach you anything? That maybe time isn't what matters? Doctor, we knew Wolfe for a little over two months. Think of everything we did with her. Would you give that up just to spare you the pain at the end?"

"Of course not…but losing you would be different…you're different…"

"Doctor. I need you to tell me what we are." I sigh, walking towards him

"We're what we always have been. Rose and the Doctor, in the Tardis. As it should be." He looks up at me, and offers his hand. I take it, and he kisses me very quickly, before pulling away, "Is that a good enough answer?"

"Yes." I smile at him, and he smiles down at me.

"Come on. Let's go watch a movie. How does that sound?"

"Brilliant Doctor." I squeeze his hand and we walk out of the console room.


	8. Chapter 8

_"Brilliant Doctor." I squeeze his hand and we walk out of the console room._

"Wake up. Rose! Wake up!" The Doctor's voice wakes me from my dream

"What do you want Doctor?" I whine, opening my eyes

"Come on!" He is dressed and bouncing with excitement.

We fell asleep on the couch last night, and I faintly remember him carrying me to bed. "Where are we?"

"You're in your room, but I found some strange readings in London from this hospital. Want to go check it out?"

I grin "Sure. Give me a minute to get dressed." I roll out of bed and head to my closet.

"I made some breakfast so come join me in the kitchen when you're ready, and we can discuss our undercover story."

"Okay." I laugh, as I pick out a pair of jeans and a pale blue blouse. I tug on a pair of pink converse and I brush my hair.

When I arrive in the kitchen, the Doctor is waiting with a plateful of pancakes.

"Thank you Doctor." I say as I sit and take a couple of pancakes, lathering them in syrup.

"So, Rose, I have decided that you ought to be the sick one." The Doctor announces

"What why?"

"Well, I figured it would be easier for me to sneak about if I wasn't in the hospital bed."

"Fine. At least I'll get pampered." I shrug, before pouting at him "and you better make sure I am."

He laughs "Alright. What will you be sick with. Can't be something they can treat easily…"

"Headache?" I offer

"No, because there's only so much that can be…what about stomach pain? Your stomach's full of organs and It'll take them ages to figure it out."

I laugh "You're probably right. I've never been to a hospital where it didn't take forever."

"So, we'll go in, Mr. John Tyler and his sick wife Rose."

I try not to choke on my mouthful of pancake. Swallowing, I manage to say "Okay."

"Are you ready to go, otherwise?"

"Yeah, definitely." I smile at him, before I fake wincing, clutching my stomach. "Ow."

Concern flashes on his face "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

I laugh at his reaction. "Just acting the part."

"Oh." He says, looking embarrassed as he runs his hands through his hair uncomfortably.

"Come on." I hop up from the table, and the Doctor follows suit "We've got work to do."

I take his hand and we head out of the Tardis, and into the busy street of London.

A large hospital, reading Royal Hope Hospital, is right in front of us.

We walk to the front door.

"Ready to make a scene?" He asks and I nod, smiling

He bends down and scoops me into his arms, bridal style.

"Oh!" I gasp, surprised

"Hold you stomach, act in pain, ready?" He asks, holding me tighter

"Yep."

He rushes into the Hospital doors and to the reception desk.

I moan in pain and I hear his frantic voice talking about my stomach and a bunch of other medical babble.

Three nurses appear and then I'm put in a wheel chair, run through several tests, including blood drawing, which was awful, and then I am dressed in a hospital gown and deposited in a room.

"Doctor, perhaps we don't have to go through the testing next time." I groan

"Sorry, Rose that's how it goes." He chuckles, before a group of people walk in, wearing scrubs.

"Now then, a very good morning to you. How are you today?" the head resident asks me, but the Doctor answers

"Aw, not so bad, still a bit, you know. Blah."

"Sorry, Mr. Tyler, we meant Mrs. Tyler." Clarifies the resident, before turning to his students "Rose Tyler, admitted today with severe abdominal pains. Jones, why don't you see what you can find? Amaze me." He deadpans

"That wasn't very clever, you two running around outside, was it?" the woman, named Jones, says to the Doctor and I as she tugs off her stethoscope

"Sorry?"

"On Chancery Street this morning. You came up to me and took your tie off." Jones says, confused, to the Doctor

"Really? What did I do that for?" The Doctor cocks his head

"I don't know, you just did."

"Not me. I was here, with my wife. Ask the nurses."

"Well, that's weird, cause it looked like you. Have you got a brother?" She asks and the Doctor's eyes change

"No, not any more. Just me." He answers and I stare at him in surprise

"As time passes and I grow ever more infirm and weary, Miss Jones." Sighs the resident  
"Sorry. Right." Martha puts her stethoscope to my chest, still staring puzzled at the Doctor.

"I weep for further generations. Are you having trouble locating the heart, Miss Jones?" groans the resident and I resist the urge to glare at him. This girl, Miss Jones, is perfectly nice.

"Um. I don't know. Stomach Cramps?"

"That is a symptom, not a diagnosis." Sighs the resident

"Mrs. Tyler is there any chance you're pregnant?"

"Oh." I blush, "N-No. none." I answer, avoiding eye contact with the Doctor

"Miss Jones. You rather failed basic techniques by not consulting first with the patient's chart." The Resident picks up the chart, receives an electric shock, and drops it.

"That happened to me this morning." Martha comments

"I had the same thing on the door handle." Agrees another student

"And me, on the lift."

"That's only to be expected. There's a thunderstorm moving in and lightning is a form of static electricity, as was first proven by, anyone?" the resident asks

"Benjamin Franklin." Grins the Doctor

"Correct!" smiles the resident

"My mate Ben, that was a day and a half. I got rope burns off that kite, and then I got soaked..."

I stare at him, silently urging him to shut up

"Quite..." the very uncomfortable resident mutters

"... and then I got electrocuted…"

"Moving on." Announces the resident "And next we have..."

Miss Jones and the rest of the students follow him out.

"Doctor!" I scold "They're going to send for psychiatric help for you!"

He grins at me "Sorry."

I sigh, the sound of the rain on the window surprisingly soothing.

Suddenly I sit up, worried, "Doctor wasn't it a perfectly sunny day out just a five minutes ago?" I ask, and the Doctor looks out the window.

"That's strange." He looks outside. "It seems to be raining only on us. It's sunny everywhere else.

I climb out of bed, tugging a dressing gown on.

"Come on then, I didn't let them poke needles into me just to sit here. Let's go explore!"

He smiles at me, taking my hand and we start down the halls.

We walk by a kitchenette, where Miss Jones is talking on the phone.

Suddenly we hear people start talking in loud chatter about the rain.

"Doctor what on earth-"

Then the building shakes, violently, sending the Doctor and I to the floor. When it stops, we get up, looking around.

"What in hell was that?" I demand

"Are you all right? The Doctor, quickly checks me over with his eyes, making sure I am truly fine.

"I think so, yeah. It felt like an earthquake, or..."

"Rose? It's night. It was lunchtime." The Doctor says to me, looking out the window

"It's not night." I say standing up "Its just dark."

"We're on the moon." The Doctor says, staring out the window, looking excited

"Doctor what?" I demand, running to the window, to see the barren landscape of the moon, the earth in the distance.

"We're on the moon. We're on the bloody moon." I gasp

"Come on. Let's go find out why." He grabs my hand and we run into the hallway, and the screams and sobs and yells of people who are starting to realize what is going on.

I catch sight of Miss Jones giving orders, managing the situation while her co workers were panicking and crying.

"All right, everyone back to bed, we've got an emergency but we'll sort it out!"

The Doctor tugs me back into a room nearby and pulls the curtain shut around us.

"Doctor what-" I demand as he is digging into his pockets for something

"Hang on." He tugs out a pair of my clothes. "Always over pack." He grins at me and I stare at him in confusion.

"Come on Rose, I wont have you running about the hospital in your dressing gown. Get changed!"

I take the clothes, and begin undressing, not even registering the fact the Doctor was still here.

He gives an award cough and turns around while I pull on my shirt and trousers.

"That's much better." I agree as we hear Miss Jones talking just outside the curtain

"But they're not exactly air tight. If the air was going to get sucked out it would have happened straight away, but it didn't. So how come?" she asks and the Doctor, while pulling aside the bed-curtain, announces

"Very good point! Brilliant, in fact. What was your name?"

"Martha." She says, looking a bit confused at the two of us

"And it was Jones, wasn't it?" I check and she nods

"Well then, Martha Jones, the question is, how are we still breathing?" asks the Doctor and a sobbing co worker of Martha's wails  
"We can't be!"

"Obviously we are so don't waste my time. Martha, what have we got? Is there a balcony on this floor, or a veranda, or...?" He barges on

"By the patients' lounge, yeah."

"Fancy going out?" The Doctor asks me, grinning

"Okay, yeah." I nod, and he takes my hand, before looking over at Martha

"and you?"

"Okay." She nods

"We might die." Warns the Doctor

"We might not." Martha smiles back

I smile at her, immediately taking a liking to her

"Good! C'mon. Not her, she'd hold us up." He nods at the sobbing woman, and I whack him lightly before we take off, up a flight of stairs and into what I assume is the patient's lounge. We step out onto the balcony, continuing to breathe normally

"We've got air! How does that work?" Martha gasps

"Just be glad it does." The Doctor responds

"I've got a party tonight. It's my brother's twenty-first. My mother's going to be really... really..." she trails off, looking a bit sick

"You okay?" I ask

"Yeah." She half smiles at me

"Sure?" the Doctor checks and Martha smiles

"Yeah."

"Want to go back in?" the Doctor asks

"No way. I mean, we could die any minute, but all the same, it's beautiful." Martha immediately answers, and I smile again

"You think?" I grin

"How many people want to go to the moon? And here we are!" she laughs slightly

"Standing in the earthlight." Jokes the Doctor

"What do you think happened?" Martha asks us

"What do you think?" the Doctor reflects her question  
"Extraterrestrial. It's got to be. I don't know, a few years ago that would have sounded man, but these days? That spaceship flying into Big Ben, Christmas, those Cybermen things. I had a cousin. Adeola. She worked at Canary Wharf. She never came home."

My stomach turns over again, and I realize that I haven't thought of Wolfe in hours. Creeping guilt washes over me as the Doctor says

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah." Martha nods, distant

"We were there. In the battle." The Doctor admits, and then there's a long silence before Martha speaks again

"I promise you, Mr. and Mrs. Tyler, we will find a way out. If we can travel to the moon, then we can travel back. There's got to be a way."

"It's not Tyler, that's not my real name." the Doctor corrects, and I look at him in surprise.

"Who are you two, then?"

"Oh, her name is Tyler. Rose Tyler, but I'm the Doctor."

"Me too, if I can pass my exams. What is it, then, Doctor Tyler?

"Just the Doctor." Corrects the Doctor, and I smile, knowing where this conversation is going

"How do you mean, just the Doctor?"

"Just... the Doctor." Repeats the Doctor

"What, people call you "the Doctor"?" Martha asks, incredulous, and without waiting for an answer she looks over at me "You call him the Doctor?"

"Yeah, or just Doctor." I nod

"Well, I'm not. As far as I'm concerned, you've got to earn that title." Martha huffs and I stifle a laugh

"Well, I'd better make a start, then. Let's have a look." He picks up a pebble and throws it "There must be some sort of force field keeping the air in."

"If that's like a bubble sealing us in, that means this is the only air we've got. What happens when it runs out?" Martha asks

"How many people in this hospital?"

"I don't know, a thousand?" Martha guesses  
"One thousand people. Suffocating." I murmur

"Why would anyone do that?" demands Martha

"Head's up! Ask them yourself." The Doctor responds as strange looking space ships arrive.


	9. Chapter 9

_"_ _Head's up! Ask them yourself." The Doctor responds as strange looking space ships arrive._

"Aliens. That's aliens. Real, proper aliens." Martha babbles, amazed

"Judoon." Corrects the Doctor

We watch as the Judoon march to the hospital, entering it through the force field. People watch, some screaming, some running, some cowering and trying to hide.

"Come on, the humans will get themselves hurt." The Doctor says, taking my hand, and hurrying towards the mezzanine.

We crouch behind some potted plants watching the Judoon shine blue lights into people's faces, categorizing them as human.

"Oh, look down there, you've got a little shop. I like a little shop."

"Doctor!" I hiss

"Never mind that! What are Judoon?" Martha asks

"Galactic police. Well, police for hire. More like interplanetary thugs." The Doctor babbles

"And they brought us to the moon?" I ask

"Neutral territory. According to galactic law, they've got no jurisdiction over the Earth, and they isolated us. That rain? Lightning? That was them, using an H2O scoop."

"What's that about "galactic law"? Where'd you get that from? If they're police, are we under arrest? Are we trespassing on the moon or something?" Martha is very lost

"No. But I like that. Good thinking. No, it's more simple. They're making a catalogue, it means they're after something non-human, which is very bad news for me." He mutters

"Why?" Martha asks, and we look at her. "Oh, you're kidding me." We continue to stare at her "Don't be ridiculous. Stop looking at me like that!" Martha gasps

"Come on, then." We get up and hurry away "Martha where's the office?"

"Down this hall, follow me." She answers, still looking like the Doctor's grown another head.

We run down the hall and into the office.

"Martha keep an eye on the Judoon. Make sure they don't get too close." Orders the Doctor and Martha leaves the room.

The Doctor starts examining a computer with his sonic screwdriver, and for a couple of minutes we wait in silence

"Well this is new." I chuckle, and he pauses to look over his shoulder at me and I continue "Always something new isn't it?"

He smiles.

Martha comes into the room.

"They've reached third floor. What's that thing?" she catches sight of his sonic

"Sonic screwdriver." The Doctor answers before working again

"Well, if you're not going to answer me properly!" huffs Martha

"No, really, it is. It's a screwdriver, and it's sonic. Look." He shows her

"What else have you got? A laser spanner?" snorts Martha

"I did, but it was stolen by Emily Pankhurst, cheeky woman." He hits the computer. "Oh, this computer! The Judoon must have locked it down. Judoon platoon upon the moon. Cause we were just travelling past, I swear, we were just wandering, we weren't looking for trouble, honestly but I noticed these plasma coils around the hospital, and that lightning, that's plasma coils, been building up for days now, based on the readings, so we checked in, I thought something was going on inside, it turns out the plasma coils were the Judoon up above."

"You didn't tell me anything about plasma coils!" I gasp, mock annoyed

"Rose" whines the Doctor

"But what were they looking for?" Martha asks

"Something that looks human, but isn't."

"Like you. Apparently." Deadpans Martha

"Like me. But not me." Nods the Doctor

"Haven't they got a photo?"

"Might be a shape-changer." I shake my head and I see the Doctor's proud smile

"Whatever it is, can't you just leave the Judoon to find it?" sighs Martha

"If they declare the hospital guilty of harboring a fugitive, they'll sentence it to execution." The Doctor replies, grimly

"All of us?" whisper Martha

"Oh yes. If I can find this thing first... Oh! Just that they're thick! Judoon are thick! They are completely thick! They wiped the records. Oh, that's clever." The Doctor babbles again

"What are we looking for?" I ask

"I don't know. Any patient admitted in the past week with unusual symptoms. Maybe there's a back-up…"Mutters the Doctor

"Just keep working. I'll go ask Mr Stoker, he might know." She leaves.

I giggle and the Doctor turns to look at me

"What?"

"She's nice." I smile

"So?"

"She's smart."

"and?"

"If we survive this -which I fully plan on surviving this- I want to ask her to fly with us. She's not afraid of this stuff like Donna was."

The Doctor smiles at me "We'll see."

"I found her." Martha bursts in the room, panicked and breathless

"You what?" demands the Doctor, and two men dressed in all black appear.

"Run!" He takes Martha and my hands and we run down the stairs, followed by the two men. We skid to a halt, as the Judoon are coming up, and we dodge out a doorway on the fourth floor, skidding around corners and then into the radiology room.

The Doctor closes and locks the door in the face of one of those men.

"Martha, Rose, get back here." He shoves us into the control room "When I say "now", press the button." he orders

"I don't know which one." Martha responds

"Find out!" The Doctor uses his sonic screwdriver on some of the machinery. I watch him, and Martha goes for the Operator's Manual.

One of the men breaks down the door, and he yells

"Now!" he yells

I slam my hand on the button which says "Start"

The Doctor zaps the man with radiation, his skeleton visible.

"What did you do?" I demand

"Increased the radiation by five thousand per cent. Killed him dead." Shrugs the Doctor

"Isn't that likely to kill you?" Martha asks, concerned

"Nah, it's only radiation. We used to play with roentgen bricks in the nursery. It's safe for you to come out, I've absorbed it all. All I need to do is expel it." He starts bouncing and hopping "If I concentrate I can shake the radiation out of my body and into one spot. It's in my left shoe. Here we go, here we go, easy does it..." He's shaking his foot "Out, out, out, out, out. Out, out, ah, ah, ah, ah. It is, it is, it is, it is, it is hot. Ah, hold on." He throws his shoe into the dustbin. "Done. " he looks at us proudly

"You're completely mad." Martha gasps

"Right. I look daft with one shoe." Agrees the Doctor and he removes and discards the other shoe.

"Barefoot on the moon!" he wiggles his toes and I laugh

"So what is that thing? And where's it from? The planet Zovirax?" Martha asks, walking towards the dead body

"It's just a Slab. They're called "Slabs". Basic slave drones, see? Solid leather, all the way through. Someone has got one hell of a fetish." The Doctor answers, and I burst out laughing.

He grins at me, but Martha doesn't seem amused

"It came with that woman, Mrs. Finnegan. It was working for her. Just like a servant."

The Doctor has turned to the X ray machine, where his horribly broken sonic was lying.  
"My sonic screwdriver." Pouts the Doctor

"She was one of the patients, but..." Martha continues, oblivious

"My sonic screwdriver!" repeats the Doctor

"She had a straw like some kind of vampire."

"I loved my sonic screwdriver!" the Doctor says to me

"Doctor!" Martha yells

"Sorry." He tosses the sonic screwdriver away, and smiles "You called me Doctor."

"Anyway! Miss Finnegan is the alien. She was drinking Mr. Stoker's blood."

The Doctor wanders as he thinks aloud. "Funny time to take a snack. You'd think she'd be hiding. Unless, no. Yes, that's it, wait a minute. Yes! Shape-changer. Internal shape-changer. She wasn't drinking blood, she was assimilating it." He gasps "If she can assimilate Mr Stoker's blood, mimic the morphology, she can register as human. We've got to find her and show the Judoon. Come on!" He runs.

We skid to a halt as a Slab walks down a hallway. We hide behind a water cooler.

"That's the thing about Slabs. They always travel in pairs."

"Like you." Martha nods

"What about me?" the Doctor asks and I roll my eyes

"You two have got each other. Tell me how did you two end up together?"

"Oh, we're... um.." I attempt to answer, awkwardly when the Doctor interrupts

"Ugh. Humans. We're stuck on the moon running out of air with Judoon and a bloodsucking criminal, you're asking personal questions. Come on."

"I like that. "Humans." I'm still not convinced you're an alien." We step out of our hiding spot only to run into a Judoon, who shines his blue light on the Doctor's face.

"Non-human." He announces

"Oh my God, you really are!" Martha gasps

"And again!" the Doctor turns and we run, the Judoon shooting after us. We go up stairs, and manage to lock a door behind us, emerging in a corridor where people are falling to the ground, gasping for breath.

"They've done this floor. Come on." The Doctor explains "The Judoon are logical and just a little bit thick. They won't go back to check a floor they've checked already. If we're lucky."

"How much oxygen is there?" Martha asks

"Not enough for all these people. We're going to run out." Answers a nurse nearby

"How are you two feeling? Are you all right?" he Doctor asks us

"I'm brilliant!" I answer

"I'm running on adrenaline." Agrees Martha

"Welcome to my world." Grins the Doctor

"What about the Judoon?" I ask

"Ah, great big lung reserves, it won't slow them down. Where's Mr Stoker's office?" dismisses the Doctor

"It's this way." Martha leads us down a hall and into the office

"She's gone! She was here." She gasps as the Doctor examines Mr. Stoker. "Drained him dry. Every last drop. I was right. She's a plasmavore." He shakes his head

"What was she doing on Earth?" I aks

"Hiding. On the run. Like Ronald Biggs in Rio de Janeiro. What's she doing now? She's still not safe. The Judoon could execute us all. Come on." We start towards the door

"Wait a minute." Martha goes to Mr Stoker and closes his eyes, then follows us out the door.

The Doctor's already muttering to himself again "Think, think, think. If I was a plasmavore surrounded by police, what would I do?" He looks at the MRI sign "Aah. She's as clever as me. Almost."

"Find the non-human. Execute." Mutters from the Juddon are growing nearer

"Martha, stay here. I need time. You're going to have to hold them up." The Doctor orders

"How do I do that?" demands Martha

"Rose forgive me for this. It's to save a thousand lives, it means nothing. Honestly, nothing." He begs of me, before he turns to Martha and he kisses her, then takes my hand and runs off.

I am in too much shock to say anything as we charge into the MRI room, where the machine is making strange noises and a little old lady is working with the controls.

"Have you seen, there are these things, those great big space rhino things, I mean rhinos from space. And we're on the moon. Great big space rhinos with guns on the moon. And I only came in for my bunions, look." The Doctor shows his feet "They're all right now, perfectly good treatment, I said to my wife, I'd recommend this place to anyone, but then we end up on the moon. And did I mention the rhinos?" the Doctor pants, acting like a terrified human.

"Hold them!" The Slabs take hold of the Doctor and I.

"That thing, that big machine thing, is it supposed to be making that noise?" the Doctor asks, feinging stupidity again

"You wouldn't understand." Sighs the old lady

"Isn't that a magnetic resonance imaging thing? Like a ginormous sort of a magnet? I did magnets at GCSE. Well, I failed, but all the same."

"The magnetic setting is now set to 50,000 Tesla." Grins the old lady

"Ooh. That's a bit strong, isn't it?" winces the Doctor

"I can send out a magnetic pulse that will fry the brain-stems of every living thing within 250,000 miles. Except me, safe in this room." She smiles

"But... hold on, hold on, I did geography for GCSE, I did pass that one, doesn't that distance include Earth?" the Doctor asks

"Only the side facing the moon. The other half will survive. Call it my little gift." She cackles

"I'm sorry, you'll have to forgive me, I'm a little out of my depth. I've spent the past fifteen years working as a postman, hence the bunions. Why would you do that?" the Doctor asks

"With everyone dead, the Judoon ships will be mine, to make my escape"

"That's weird. You're talking like you're some sort of an alien." I go along with the Doctor's trick

" Right-o." nods the old lady

"No!" the Doctor and I gasp

"Oh, yes."

"You're joshing me." The Doctor gasps and I have to resist the urge to laugh

"I am not."

"I'm talking to an alien? In hospital? What, has the place got an ET department?" the Doctor chuckles

"It's the perfect hiding place. Blood banks downstairs for a midnight feast, and all this equipment I'm ready to arm myself with should the police come looking."

"So, those rhinos, they're looking for you?" I question

"Yes. But I'm hidden." She smirks

"Oh. Right! Maybe that's why they're increasing their scans."

"They're doing what?" she suddenly doesn't look as smug at the Doctor's latest remark

"Big chief rhino boy, he said, no sign of a non-human, we must increase our scans... up to setting two?"

"Then I must assimilate again." She mutters, looking scarily at the Doctor as she speaks

 **Hello!**

 **I am so, so SO sorry for taking FOREVER to post! I hope you all forgive me and keep reading!**

 **Lots of love!**


	10. Chapter 10

_"Then I must assimilate again." She mutters, looking scarily at the Doctor as she speaks_

"What does that mean?" I ask

"I must appear to be human." She explains

"Well, you're welcome to come home with me and my wife. We'd be honoured. We can have cake." The Doctor offers

"Why should I have cake? I've got my little straw."

"That's nice. Milkshake? I like banana." He chuckles

"You're quite a funny man. And yet, I think, laughing on purpose at the darkness. I think it's time you found some peace. Steady him!" she orders

"What are you doing?" I shout as the Slabs hold him and the women approaches with her straw.

"I'm afraid this is going to hurt. But if it's any consolation, the dead don't tend to remember." She cackles and plunges the straw into the Doctor's neck.

He howls with pain and I fight to free myself. She drinks the Doctor's blood with a straw.

"No!" I shriek as he grows paler and paler. The Judoon enter the room, Martha trailing

"Now see what you've done. This poor man just died of fright" gasps the old lady.

"Scan him!" a pause "Confirmation: deceased." The Juddon announces

"No, he can't be." I gasp,

"Let me through, let me see him!" Martha yells

"Stop. Case closed." The Jusson block her off as the Slab lets go of me

"But it was her. She killed him. She did it. She murdered him." Martha yells as I throw myself at the Doctor.

"The Judoon have no authority over human crime."

"But she's not human." Martha argues as tears pour down my face onto the Doctor's pale skin

"Oh, but I am. I've been catalogued." Giggles the old woman

"But she's not! She assimil... Wait a minute. You drank his blood. The Doctor's blood." Martha gasps and she grabs a Judoon scanner.

"Oh, all right. Scan all you like."

"Non-human." Announces the Judoon

"What?" demands the old woman

"Confirm analysis." Orders the Jusoon

"Oh, but it's a mistake, surely. I'm human. I'm as human as they come!"

"He gave his life so they'd find you." I sob

"Confirmed: Plasmavore. I charge you with the crime of murdering the princess of Patrival Regency Nine."

"She deserved it! Those pink cheeks and those blond curls and that simpering voice. She was begging for the bite of a plasmavore!" Snarls the old lady

"Do you confess?"

"Confess? I'm proud of it! Slab, stop them!" The Slab shoots. The Judoon shoot. The Slab disintegrates.

"Verdict: guilty. Sentence: execution." He announces

The warning sign lights up: MAGNETIC OVERLOAD.

"Enjoy your victory, Judoon, because you're going to burn with me. Burn in hell!"

She screams as they disintegrate her. Martha rushes over to the Doctor, kneeling beside me

"What did she mean, "burn with me"?" Martha asks

"The scanner shouldn't be doing that. She's done something." I explain, poorly

"Scans detect lethal acceleration of monomagnetic pulse." The Judodon announces

"Well, do something! Stop it!" Martha orders

"Our jurisdiction has ended. Judoon will evacuate.

"You can't just leave it. What's it going to do?" Martha asks

"All units withdraw. They depart." The Judoon leaves The sign continues to flash: MAGNETIC OVERLOAD.

"You can't go. That thing's going to explode and it's all your fault. They're gone." Martha starts to apply pulmonary resuscitation techniques on the Doctor, muttering to him.

"Please." I whimper as the Doctor doesn't respond

"One, two, three, four, five. One, two, three, four, five" Mutters Martha

"He has two hearts!" I suddenly gasp and Martha begins on the second one.

I am starting to feel light headed, all of the crying using too much air.

"One, two, three, four, five. One, two, three, four, five." Martha continues to beat on the Doctor's chest.

The Doctor revives and starts to cough.

I let out a cry of relief, before everything spins into darkness.

I awake to the sound of sirens. I look around and see I'm in the Doctor's arms, and we're back on Earth.

"Doctor?" I ask, confused

"Hey, Rose, we're just heading back to the Tardis, I'm going to get you some proper medical care." He smiles at me.

"What about Martha?" I mutter, still groggy as he walks into the Tardis.

"Don't worry she's fine."

"But Doctor…" I start as he carries me into to med bay and lays me down.

"Shh, you were deprived of Oxygen for a while." He murmurs, as he starts testing me, and I hear the engines starting.

We dematerialize.

He continues to give me oxygen through a mask and give me medicine.

I sit up, my mind much clearer now.

"I thought I'd lost you. You bloody idiot!" I snarl, ripping off the mask and throwing it at him. He looks up at me in surprise

"What?"

"What were you thinking letting the plasmavore almost kill you, and while I'm yelling I might as well add why the hell did you kiss Martha?"

"I told you I was trying to save the Earth!" he yells back

"I travelled with you for months and you never so much as gave me a kiss on the cheek and we've known Martha five minutes and you're already giving her a good snog! And then just hoping one of us would revive you, you bloody idiot." I start to sob, "You were so pale and I thought…I...after Wolfe…"

"Rose." He whispers, wrapping his arms around me, and I press my face into his suit, breathing deeply.

"Do not ever do that again, do you hear me? You're all I've got. It's just you and me, Doctor and I wont have you sacrificing yourself." I mutter when I tuck my chin over his shoulder.

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry" He answers, rocking me back and forth, pressing a long kiss to the top of my head.

I tilt my head back, and smiling slightly he presses another kiss to my lips.

"I forgive you." I whisper when we finish, and I tuck my head back on his chest.

"Doctor, do you remember what Martha said, about seeing us on the street? How do you think that was?" I ask, as we fly about

He turns to look at me "I don't know. I think we need to go back to Martha and find out."

"Let's take her with us for a little bit, but I promise you Doctor snog her again and I'll kick both of you out of the Tardis!"

"Yes ma'am." Mutters the Doctor and I stick my tongue out at his sass

"Here we go, five minutes and then we'll land not ten feet from Martha." He announces. Before a loud ding goes off in the Tardis

"Ah, brilliant!" He runs over and picks up a brand new sonic.

"Look at this!" he grins, proudly, showing it to me. It looks exactly like his old one.

After we land, he walks down the small alley way and to the corner. I can hear the sounds of a family fight echoing through the buildings, from where I'm standing in the doorway of the Tardis

The Doctor walks back around the corner, Martha following.

The Doctor leans on the Tardis as I step out and shut the door behind me.

"I went to the moon today." Martha says, breathlessly

"A bit more peaceful than down here." Chuckles the Doctor as the fighting continues

"You never even told me who you are." Martha says to us

"The Doctor and Rose." The Doctor responds

"What sort of species? It's not every day I get to ask that." Martha chuckles.

"I'm human, like you. 100% human." I laugh

"I'm a Time Lord." Grins the Doctor

"Right! Not pompous at all, then." Snorts Martha and I laugh.

"We just thought since you saved my life and I've got a brand new sonic screwdriver which needs road testing, you might fancy a trip." The Doctor offers, glancing at me.

"What, into space?" Martha checks

"Well?" I smile at her

"I can't. I've got exams. I've got things to do. I have to go into town first thing and pay the rent, I've got my family going mad..." she looks over her shoulder

"If it helps, it can travel in time, as well." I add

"Get out of here." She gasps

"We can." The Doctor agrees

"Come on now, that's going too far." Martha laughs at the ridiculous of it

"I'll prove it." The Doctor says, taking my hand and tugging me into the Tardis

"I think I know why we saw her!" he grins, starting the Tardis.

We materialize and he grasps my hand, running out of the Tardis. We charge down the street through a crowd, until we find Martha.

"Like so!" He grins at her bewildered face, taking off his tie.

Then we turn and run back to the Tardis, rematerializing and running back out the door.

The Doctor steps out, holding his tie in his hand.

"Told you!" I giggle

"I know, but... that was this morning! But, did you... Oh, my God! You can travel in time!" Martha gasps while the Doctor puts his tie on again.

"But hold on, if you could see me this morning, why didn't you tell me not to go in to work?" Martha demands.

"Crossing into established events is strictly forbidden. Except for cheap tricks." The Doctor shakes his head

"And that's your spaceship?" Martha gestures to the Tardis

"It's called the Tardis. Time and Relative Dimension in Space." Announces the Doctor, proudly

"Your spaceship's made of wood. There's not much room. We'd be a bit intimate." Martha mutters, and I freeze at her choice of words. The Doctor, oblivious as ever, pushes the door open and smiles at her

"Take a look."  
She goes in, the Doctor and I following her. She looks around and we have to jump out of the way as she runs out again.

"Oh, no, no." she gasps, turning around in the alley

"But it's just a box. But it's huge. How does it do that? It's wood." She knocks on it. It's like a box with that room just rammed in. It's bigger on the inside."

The Doctor mouths her sentence with her and I laugh as she walks back in

"Is it? I hadn't noticed." He answers and I laugh again as he shuts the door behind her, throws his coat aside. "All right, then, let's get going."

"But is there a crew? Like a navigator and stuff? Where is everyone else?" Martha asks and the Doctor glances at me

"Just us."

"All on your own?" Martha's smile fades "Just the two of you?"

"Well, sometimes we have guests. I mean some friends, travelling alongside. We had, there was recently…a friend of ours. Wolfe, her name was, Wolfe. And…she was our..." he pauses and glances at me. "Anyway." He hops up heading towards

"Where is she now?" Martha asks

"With her extended family. Happy. She's fine. Not that you're replacing her." I hurriedly answer

"Never said I was." Martha backs off quickly

"Just one trip to say "thanks", you get one trip, then back home." The Doctor announces

"You're the one that kissed me." Snorts Martha and I stare at her, growing protective

"That was a genetic transfer." The Doctor responds mildly, looking over at me

Martha chuckles staring at him strangely

"Now... don't!" warns the Doctor "Stop it."

"For the record? I'm wouldn't be remotely interested. I only go for humans. Plus, you two have got each other, and I'm not interested in interfering." She says, looking right at me, clearly reading my protective hostility.

I nod at her, a silent pact between us.

"Good. Well, then. Close down the gravitic anomalizer. Fire up the helmic regulator. And finally, the hand brake." He points and I yank it.

"Ready?" he looks over at Martha

"No." she answers, breathlessly

"Off we go." He pulls a lever and The Tardis jolts and shakes. We fall to the door, laughing.


	11. Chapter 11

_"Off we go." He pulls a lever and The Tardis jolts and shakes. We fall to the door, laughing._

"Blimey, it's a bit bumpy." Huffs Martha

"Welcome aboard, Miss Jones." The Doctor shouts, hopping to his feet and shaking her hand.

"It's my pleasure!" She laughs back.

"Alright, it'll be a while and we might as well get some sleep." The Doctor announces as soon as I yawn.

"But I have so many questions-" Martha starts

"Why don't you ask them tomorrow? We've all had a long day." I say, yawning again, "Plus we've got all the time in the world."

Martha grins, before looking confused. "Where will I sleep?" She asks

"Oh, follow me. I'm sure the Tardis will have done up a room for you already." The Doctor explains, and we march down the bedroom corridor, where a new door has been placed right at the front.

"Here we are." He opens the door and my face falls immediately.

It's Wolfe's room.

All of her toys and stuffed animals and clothes and pictures are all over it, untouched from when she was last onboard.

The Doctor slams the door shut, and walks down the hall to the next one.

"Doctor…was that a child's room? A little girl's?" Martha asks looking shocked

"Yes." Growls the Doctor opening the door to Martha's room, a grey and red decorated room.

"But, when did you have a child on board? Why?" She asks as she follows us into her room.

"This is your room, you'll find clothes in the closet. If you need anything just yell." The Doctor abruptly answers, before storming out of the room.

"Sorry." I whisper before I quickly follow the Doctor, leaving Martha alone in her room.

"Goodnight!" She calls after us and I don't respond.

When I reach the end of the corridor, I see he's gone.

The Doctor's breathing deeply, and angrily when I find him in Wolfe's bedroom, exactly where I knew he'd be.

He's walking amongst her things, picking up our Harry Potter books from their pile on her bed, scooping Starbuck off the floor, along with her converse, just like his.

The pictures on her dresser are of the Doctor and I.

He looks up at me, and says nothing but I can feel the emotion in his eyes because I know exactly what he's feeling. The ache of loss and the boiling blood of guilt and grief.

"Come on Doctor. Let's go." I whisper, taking his hand and tugging him towards the door of Wolfe's room.

"Wait." He mutters, walking over to her converse and unlacing one completely.

He digs into his pocket and tugs out two identical keys and strings them on the two laces, tying them in a knot. I don't understand until he slides one over his head, before walking over to me and placing it in my hand.

"Keys to her room." He explains as we walk out, shutting the door.

He bends down and locks the door with the key around his neck, making sure no one can enter.

I tug the key around my neck and take his hand as he leads me down the hall to my room.

He gives me a quick kiss before I walk into my room and close the door. Changing into my pajamas quickly I crawl into bed, just lying there staring at the darkness.

After two hours, I give up on sleeping, roll out of bed and head to the kitchen.

I'm surprised to see Martha there.

"Oh. Sorry." She stutters " I was just trying to make myself a cup of tea…"

"Its fine. Couldn't sleep?" I ask as I sit at the table. She takes the kettle from the stove and pours me a cup as well.

"No I couldn't. How do you take your tea?"

"Two sugars." I answer and she sets the tea in front of me "Thank you."

"Yeah, no problem. I mean, you and the Doctor are hosting me on the greatest adventure of my life." She laughs, somewhat nervously

"Yeah." I agree, taking a sip of my tea, and letting the silence hang.

"Rose…who was that little girl? The Doctor was so angry and I swear I didn't mean to make you upset I just…" she looks down "Sorry. I don't mean to bother you, I'll head back to my-"

"She was our daughter." I answer and her head turns sharply to look at me in surprise.

"Oh." A tiny gasp escapes her lips.

"That was Wolfe."

Martha nods putting two and two together

"So you two…are together?" Martha takes another sip of her tea.

"Sort of, but only very recently. It's still quite new." I blush slightly

"But Wolfe…"

"Wolfe was created through a parallel dimension. It's really too complicated to explain but she wasn't conceived conventionally." I shake my head "but she found us, travelled with us for a while. The Doctor and I had no idea. We actually adopted her. We were spending Christmas in New York and had the bright idea of making her ours. An orphan Timelord human hybrid who had found her way into our lives and hearts."

I wipe a tear away, using the tea mug to warm my cold hands.

"She was such an amazing little girl. Loved to read, impossibly smart. Got that from the Doctor. She looked just like me though…more beautiful I suppose. Honestly, I'm not sure how we missed it." I take another sip while Martha listens, enthralled

"She saved the world you know. Gave up this world, her life…us…" I take a deep breath and another sip of tea. "She's with my Mum and Dad now, in the other world. Safe and sound. We can't get to her though. Reality would collapse." I laugh emptily as I finish my tea.

Martha is staring at me, speechless

"Don't tell the Doctor I told you. He prefers to keep it all hidden away." I shake my head I place my mug in the sink.

"I wont… Rose thank you for telling me and I'm so sorry."

"Thank you for listening." I smile back at her, feeling slightly better

She nods and I leave, walking down the corridor, freezing at my bedroom door. Looking down the hall, I start walking towards the next door.

I knock softly upon it.

"Rose?"

Opening it, I see the Doctor's silhouette sitting up, staring at me

"Hi. How'd you know it was me?"

"Recognized your footsteps."

"You're still awake."

"So you are you."

"Are you thinking about Wolfe?"

"Of course." He sighs

"Can I…" I trail off, remembering the beautiful warmth and comfort, which came from snuggling up with Wolfe and the Doctor, sleeping better than I had in all my life.

"Of course." The Doctor seems to hear my silent question, lifting the covers up beside him and laying back down.

I walk over to his bed and climb in snuggling up against his chest, relishing the warmth his body gives off.

He tucks the covers in around me, wrapping one arm over me.

"Good night, Rose."

"Goodnight Doctor."


	12. Chapter 12

_"Good night, Rose."_

 _"Goodnight Doctor."_

The Doctor turns a wheeled control while Martha and I hold on to the console to remain steady.

"But how do you travel in time? What makes it go?"

"Oh, let's take the fun and mystery out of everything." Sighs the Doctor, after almost an hour of Martha's questions

"Martha, you don't wanna know. It just does." I add

"Hold on tight!" The Doctor practically climbs onto the console. Martha and I are knocked to the floor and the Doctor falls off the console.

"Blimey! Do you have to pass a test to fly this thing?" Demands Martha as we struggle to our feet, the shaking stopped.

"Yes, and I failed it." He gets up and grabs his coat

"Honestly Doctor it's the worst you've ever flown." I sigh

"Now, make the most of it." He hands Martha her jacket, from where it dropped to the floor "I promised you one trip and one trip only. Outside this door..."

He races to the door, before turning around and facing us

"Brave new world."

"Where are we?" Martha asks, grinning

"Take a look." He opens door. "After you."

Martha runs outside onto a street at night, with people milling about. "Oh, you are kidding me. You are so kidding me. Oh, my God! We did it. We travelled in time. Where are we? No, sorry. I gotta get used to this whole new language. When are we?" Martha gasps as the Doctor and I smile at each other

"I see why you like bringing people along. I didn't realize how fun it is to watch them enjoy themselves." I whisper to him and the Doctor nods

"Oh!" He runs forward, and yanks Martha back as from a first floor window a man dumps the contents of a bucket onto the spot where she was just standing.

"Mind the loo!" Shouts the man

"Somewhere before the invention of the toilet." I laugh

"Sorry about that." The Doctor apologizes

"I've seen worse. I've worked the late night shift at A&E." Martha scoffs and I laugh.

Taking the Doctor's hand we walk out into the street, avoiding the puddle.

"But are we safe?" Martha calls, still in the Tardis and we turn around

"I mean, can we move around and stuff?' Martha asks

"Of course we can. Why do you ask?" The Doctor asks

"It's like in the films. You step on a butterfly; you change the future of the human race."

"Well, tell you what then, don't step on any butterflies. What have butterflies ever done to you?" Teases the Doctor, before we continue walking.

"What if, I dunno, what if I kill my grandfather?" Martha follows, overly cautious

"You planning to?" Laughs the Doctor, nudging me

"No." Martha snorts

"Well, then." The Doctor and I chuckle

"This is London." I observe as Martha falls in step with us

"I think so. Right about 1599." Nods the Doctor

"Oh, but hold on. Am I all right? Martha bites her lip "I'm not gonna get carted off as a…a slave, am I?" She asks and I suddenly realize that maybe the past wasn't such a great idea. I look at the Doctor

"Why would they do that?" The Doctor cocks his head at her and we both stare at him in confusion

"Not exactly white, in case you haven't noticed." Martha deadpans and I hide my laughter

"I'm not even human. Just walk about like you own the place. Works for me. Besides, you'd be surprised. Elizabethan England, not so different from your time. Look over there" he points "They've got recycling."

A man shovels manure.

Martha smiles

"Water cooler moment." He gestures to two men conversing at a water barrel. They walk past a man preaching about the end of the world.

"... and the world will be consumed by flame!"

"Global warming." I laugh

"Oh, yes, and... entertainment! Popular entertainment for the masses. If I'm right, we're just down the river by Southwark right next to..." He takes Martha's hand in his free hand and we run around a corner

"Oh, yes, the Globe Theatre! Brand new. Just opened. Through, strictly speaking, it's not a globe; it's a tetradecagon, 14 sides, containing the man himself." Grins the Doctor in excitement

"Whoa, you don't mean... is Shakespeare in there?" Gasps Martha

"Oh, yes." He holds out both arms "Miss Jones, Miss Tyler, will you accompany me to the theatre?

"Yes, I will." I say, linking my arm with his as Martha does the same.

"When you get home, you can tell everyone you've seen Shakespeare." The Doctor says to Martha

"Then I could get sectioned!" She laughs

We enter the theatre, where it's a packed house, everyone applauding and cheering.

"Come on let's get some good seats!" The Doctor yells over the commotion, taking up us up the steps, showing the guards his physic paper.

We end up sitting towards the front, but far enough back to see the whole picture, and right in the center.

"Oh this is lovely Doctor." I grin, and he gives me a kiss on the cheek

I laugh, and I try not to notice the look on Martha's face as he wraps his arm around my shoulder.

The actors get onstage and everyone falls silent.

The actors onstage are taking their bows. As everyone screams and cheers, Martha the Doctor and I included

"That's amazing! Just amazing. It's worth putting up with the smell. And those are men dressed as women, yeah." Martha babbles to us

"London never changes." The Doctor answers

"Where's Shakespeare? I wanna see Shakespeare." I demand

I throw my first in the air "Author! Author!" I yell and the Doctor looks at me, something close to amusement and affection in his gaze.

"Do people shout that? Do they shout "Author"?" Martha asks the Doctor as a man in crowd by us picks up the chant and it soon spreads.

"Well... they do now." The Doctor laughs as the whole theatre shouts "Author" with me

Shakespeare comes out and takes an exaggerated bow and blows kisses. Audience goes wild and cheers even louder.

"He's a bit different from his portraits."

"Genius. He's a genius, the genius. The most human Human that's ever been. Now we're gonna hear him speak. Always, he chooses the best words. New, beautiful, brilliant words." The Doctor babbles to me and I laugh at how much he is fawning over Shakespeare.

"Shut your big fat mouths!" shouts Shakespeare and I burst out laughing at the Doctor's disappointed face

"Oh, well." He sighs

"You should never meet your heroes." Warns Martha

"You have excellent taste! I'll give you that." Shakespeare points to man in audience. "Oh, that's a wig!"

The crowd cackles with laughter

"I know what you're all saying. "Loves Labour's Lost", that's a funny ending, isn't it? It just stops! Will the boys get the girls? Well, don't get your hose in a tangle, you'll find out soon. Yeah, yeah. All in good time. You don't rush a genius!" He bows. He shoots back up straight "When? Tomorrow night." He adds and the Audience cheers

"The premiere of my brand new play. A sequel, no less, and I call it "Loves Labour's Won"!" Audience applauds loudly but the Doctor remains quiet.

"We should get out before everyone else" He whispers to me and we leave the theatre.

"Doctor what's wrong?" I ask as we get back into the fresh air.

"I'm not an expert, but I've never heard of "Loves Labour's Won"." Martha comments

"Exactly, the lost play. It doesn't exist, only in rumours. It's mentioned in lists of his plays but never ever turns up. No one knows why." The Doctor shakes his head

"Have you got a mini-disk or something? We could tape it. We can flog it. Sell it when we get home and make a mint." Martha grins

"No." the Doctor says, firmly

"That would be bad?" she winces

"Yeah. Yeah." Nods the Doctor

"Well, how come it disappeared in the first place?" I ask

"Well, I was just gonna give Martha a quick little trip in the Tardis but I suppose we could stay a bit longer. Stick around and see what happens. Why don't we find a nice Inn to stay at and we'll come watch Love Labour's Won tomorrow."

We walk into the elephant inn, and in the bar on the first floor is Shakespeare.

"I've just got the final scene to go. You'll get it by morning" Shakespeare grins as he drinks his beer.

"Hello! Excuse me! I'm not interrupting, am I?" the Doctor walks in

"Mr. Shakespeare, isn't it?" The Doctor walks to him, Martha and I hanging behind slightly

"Oh no, no, no, no. Who let you in? No autographs. No, you can't have yourself sketched with me. And please don't ask where I get my ideas from. Thanks for the interest. Now be a good boy and shove..." The Doctor's face falls as Shakespeare continues talking. Shakespeare's eyes fall on Martha and I behind the Doctor.

"Hey, nonny nonny. Sit right down here next to me." He shifts over, practically knocking the two men next to him off.

The Doctor grasps my arm tightly as I make to go sit next to Shakespeare. Martha walks forward and sits next to him as he waves his friends off

"You two get sewing on them costumes. Off you go."

"Come on, lads. I think our William's found his new muse." The barmaid ushers them away

"Sweet lady." He stares at Martha, and I look up at the Doctor, who is still protectively holding onto me.

"Such unusual clothes. So... fitted." He murmurs

"Um, verily, forsooth, egads." Martha answers, and the Doctor's eyes widen in panic

"No, no, don't do that. Don't." he hurries forward, with me and holds out his psychic paper to Shakespeare "I'm Sir Doctor of Tardis and this is my wife Miss Rose Tyler and our friend, Miss Martha Jones." He quickly says "Interesting, that bit of paper. It's blank." Frowns Shakespeare

"Oh, that's... very clever." The look on the Doctor's face is pure amazement "That proves it. Absolute genius." He says to me

"No, it says so right there. Sir Doctor, Rose Tyler, Martha Jones. It says so." Martha says, looking at it, in confusion

"And I say it's blank." Laughs Shakespeare

"Psychic paper. Um, long story." I explain to Martha

Shakespeare looks at me "Shame you're taken, you're quite a beauty too."

"Yes she is." The Doctor agrees as he puts the psychic paper away.

"Anyway. Psychic. Never heard that before and words are my trade. Who are you exactly? More's the point, who is your delicious blackamoor lady?" Shakespeare looks affectionately at Martha who looks very offended

"What did you say?" She demands

"Oops. Isn't that a word we use nowadays? An Ethiop girl? A swarth? A Queen of Afric..." Shakespeare tries to amend, offending Martha even more

"I can't believe I'm hearing this." She gasps

"It's political correctness gone mad. Um, Martha's from a far-off land. Freedonia." The Doctor tries to help the situation

"Excuse me!" A man bursts into the room "Hold hard a moment. This is abominable behaviour. A new play with no warning? I demand to see a script, Mr Shakespeare. As Master of the Revels, every new script must be registered at my office and examined by me before it can be performed." He yells

"Tomorrow morning, first thing, I'll send it 'round."

"I don't work to your schedule, you work to mine. The script, now!" The man responds

"I can't." shrugs Shakespeare

"Then tomorrow's performance is cancelled." Announces the man

"It's all go, 'round here, isn't it?" snorts Martha

"I'm returning to my office for a banning order. If it's the last thing I do, "Love's Labours Won" will never be played." He leaves.

"Well, then... mystery solved. That's "Love's Labours Won" over and done with. Thought it might be something more, you know... more mysterious." Martha laughs quietly to us

An earsplitting scream echoes outside.


	13. Chapter 13

_Martha laughs quietly to us_

 _An earsplitting scream echoes outside._

Shakespeare, Martha, the Doctor and I rush out to the street, where the man who just stormed out is on the ground spitting up water.

"It's that Lynley bloke." Gasps one woman

"What's wrong with him?" I ask

"Leave it to men. I'm a doctor." Announces the Doctor as he goes to Lynley's side.

"So am I, near enough." Martha shoves into the crowd and I have no choice but to follow, and soon all three of us are kneeling besides Lynley. Looking worried, the

Doctor stands and runs to look down the street.

"Gotta get the heart going. Mr Lynley, c'mon, can you hear me? You're gonna be all right." Martha announces, starting CPR.

She prepares to start mouth-to-mouth but before she can water gushes from Lynley's mouth, like a faucet. The Doctor rushes back.

"What the hell is that?" I gasp

"I've never seen a death like it. His lungs are full of water, he drowned and then... I dunno, like a blow to the heart, an invisible blow." The Doctor whispers to us

before he stands and addresses the crowd around us.

"Good mistress, this poor fellow has died from a sudden imbalance of the humours. A natural if unfortunate demise. Call a constable and have him taken away." He

sighs, importantly

"Yes, sir." One woman says

"I'll do it, ma'am." Says another woman, from the bar

The Doctor crouches back down beside the body, next to Martha and I.

"And why are you telling them that?" hisses Martha

"This lot still have got one foot in the Dark Ages. If I tell them the truth, they'll panic and think it was witchcraft." He whispers

"Okay, what was it then?" I ask

"Witchcraft." He answers and Martha and I stare at him in shock

"Come on, let's go and get some sleep." He hops up, walking back towards the inn.

"I got you a room, Sir Doctor. Unfortunately we've only got one. Just across the landing." Says the kind woman as she leaves, muttering to herself "Poor Lynley. So many strange events. Not least of all, this land of Freedonia where a woman can be a doctor?"

"Where a woman can do what she likes." Hisses Martha under her breath as Shakespeare walks over to us

"And you, Sir Doctor. How can a man so young have eyes so old?" he asks and I stare at Shakespeare in surprise

"I do a lot of reading." The Doctor shrugs

"A trite reply. Yeah, that's what I'd do." Shakespeare replies before he turns to Martha

"And you, you look at him like you're surprised he exists. He's as much of a puzzle to you as he is to me."

"And you," he turns to me "You look like you've seen so much, yet still you look at him as if you're amazed. I take it you've been with him longer?"

"I think we should say good night." The Doctor announces, taking my hand and tugging me to the room.

"I must work. I have a play to complete. But I'll get my answers tomorrow, Doctor, and I'll discover more about you and this constant performance of yours." Shakespeare calls after us

The Doctor freezes in the doorway

"All the world's a stage." He answers

"Hm, I might use that. Good night, Doctor." Shakespeare goes into his room

"Nighty-night, Shakespeare."

We walk into the room where Martha is examining their room when the Doctor enters.

"It's not exactly five-star, is it?" Martha laughs

"Oh, it'll do. I've seen worse." The Doctor shrugs

"I haven't even got a toothbrush." Sighs Martha

"Ooh." The Doctor pats his pockets before pulling out a toothbrush "Contains Venusian spearmint." He grins

"So, who's going where? I mean, there's only one bed….I'll take the floor…" Martha starts

"You don't have to-" I start at the same time the Doctor says

"That would be fine because-"

We stop and stare at each other.

"Hold on." The Doctor says, digging in his pocket. "Here." He tugs a long, thick blanket and a quilt from his pocket.

"Here." He hands them to Martha.

"You just keep getting more and more mysterious don't you?" Laughs Martha laying down the blankets at the foot of the bed.

"What about me Doctor?" I ask, silently begging him to let us repeat last night's cuddle.

"Oh, we'll manage." He flops onto the bed. I smile

"So, magic and stuff. That's a surprise. It's a little bit "Harry Potter"." Martha says, changing the subject.

"Wait till you read Book Seven." The Doctor responds "Oh, we cried."

I swallow as I remember how painful that book was.

"But is it real, though? I mean, witches, black magic and all that, it's real?" Martha asks, unaware of the pain the Doctor and I feel over Harry Potter.

"'Course it isn't!" the Doctor responds brightly despite the topic

"Well, how am I supposed to know? I've only just started believing in time travel. Give me a break." Martha huffs

"Looks like witchcraft, but it isn't. Can't be." He says to Martha

"Are you gonna stand there all night?" He asks me

"Budge up a bit, then." I laughing sitting next to him on the bed

"Sorry, there's not much room." He apologizes as Martha mutters something too quiet to hear and walks away to go brush her teeth.

"There's such a thing as psychic energy but a human couldn't channel it like that. Not without a generator the size of Taunton and I think we'd have spotted that."

He's still talking oblivious to Martha's exit. He turns on his side facing me "No. There's something I'm missing, Rose."

I roll onto my side so we're face to face

"Something really close, staring me right in the face and I can't see it. Wolfe would know. Right now, she'd say exactly the right thing." He sighs

"I know." I snuggle closer to him.

He smiles down at me, saying nothing.

I shift slightly, ready to give him a kiss.

"Maybe I could help?" Martha offers, walking back in, breaking the intimate moment.

"Still, can't be helped. You're a novice, never mind. I'll take you back home tomorrow." The Doctor answers, a little harshly

"Great!" Martha says, clearly annoyed she turns her back on us and blows out the candle, sending us into darkness

"Goodnight Martha." I call into the darkness

"'Night." She answers back shortly

A piercing scream jolts us awake.

The Doctor and I stumble from the bed, where we were tangled, before racing into the hall, Martha hot on our heels. We run towards the sound of the scream, and

burst into Shakespeare's room. Shakespeare wakes with a start when we enter, seemingly asleep at his desk.

We freeze as the Barmaid's body is on the floor. The Doctor and I drop to the floor to examine her body.

"Wha'? What was that?" Shakespeare gasps as Martha runs to the window

"Her heart gave out. She died of fright." The Doctor announces, sadly.

"Doctor!" Martha calls and we join her at the window

"What did you see?" he demands

"A witch!" She gasps.

We peer out the window for a few moments, dawn just beginning.

"Come on," the Doctor sighs after a few moments of fruitless looking about.

"Oh, sweet Dolly Bailey. She sat out three bouts of the plague in this place. We all ran like rats. But what could have scared her so? She had such enormous spirit." Shakespeare mourns his friend

"Rage, rage against the dying of the light." The Doctor murmurs

"I might use that." Shakespeare announces thoughtfully

"You can't. It's someone else's." I quickly say

"But the thing is, Lynley drowned on dry land, Dolly died of fright and they were both connected to you." Martha thinks aloud

"You're accusing me?" Shakespeare asks, looking hurt

"No, but I saw a witch, big as you like, flying, cackling away, and you've written about witches." Martha starts

"I have? When was that?" Shakespeare asks, confused

"Not, not quite yet." The Doctor whispers to us

"Peter Streete spoke of witches." Shakespeare announces, thoughtfully

"Who's Peter Streete?" I ask

"Our builder. He sketched the plans to the Globe." Shakespeare responds

"The architect. Hold on. The architect! The architect!" He slams fist on table. "The Globe! Come on!" He rushes off, followed by Martha, Shakespeare, and I.

We charge out of the inn, and start down the street towards the globe.

"Does he usually do this sort of thing?" pants Shakespeare

"Pretty much, yes." I answer, before we finally catch up to the Doctor, and he's already inside the globe

We walk out onto the stage, and the Doctor is examining the pit.

"The columns there, right? 14 sides. I've always wondered but I never asked... tell me, Will, why 14 sides?" The Doctor asks as we catch our breath.

"It was the shape Peter Streete thought best, that's all. Said it carried the sound well." Shrugs Shakespeare

"Why does that ring a bell? 14..."

"There are 14 lines in a sonnet." Offers Martha

"So there is. Good point. Words and shapes following the same design".

"14 lines, 14 sides, 14 facets...Oh, my head. Tetradecagon... think, think, think! Words, letters, numbers, lines!" The Doctor yells to himself as he runs his hands through his hair madly, banging on his head

"This is just a theatre." Shakespeare weakly says

"Oh, but a theatre's magic, isn't it? You should know. Stand on this stage, say the right words with the right emphasis at the right time... Oh, you can make men

weep, or cry with joy, change them. You can change people's minds just with words in this place. And if you exaggerate that..."

"It's like you're police box. Small wooden box with all that power inside." Martha offers

"Oh. Oh, Martha Jones, I like you." The Doctor grins at her, before spinning to look at Shakespeare and I "Tell you what, though. Peter Streete would know. Can I talk to him?"

"You won't get an answer. A month after finishing this place... lost his mind." Shakespeare says sadly

"Why? What happened?" I demand

"Started raving about witches, hearing voices, babbling. His mind was addled." Responds Shakespeare

"Where is he now?" Asks the Doctor

"Bedlam."

"What's Bedlam?" I ask

"Bedlem Hospital. The madhouse." Shakespeare explains

"We're gonna go there. Right now. Come on." He heads out, and we follow again, Shakespeare yelling after the Doctor "Wait! I'm coming with you. I want to witness

this at first hand!"

We hurry out to the street, and Shakespeare starts flirting with Martha again

"So, tell me of Freedonia, where women can be doctors, writers, actors."

"This country's ruled by a woman." Martha replies, and I smile

"Ah, she's royal. That's God's business. Though you are a royal beauty." He compliments

"Whoa, Nelly! I know for a fact you've got a wife in the country!" Martha exclaims and I hide a smile, taking the Doctor's hand as we continue down the street

"But Martha, this is Town." Protests Shakespeare

"Come on. We can all have a good flirt later." Whines the Doctor

"Is that a promise, Doctor?" Flirts Shakespeare and the Doctor leans down to whisper in my ear

"Oh, 57 academics just punched the air." I laugh before he straightens up, yelling over his shoulder

"Now move!"

Loud screams and moans sound we're led through the halls.

"Does my lord, Doctor, wish some entertainment while he waits? I'd whip these madmen. They'll put on a good show for ya. Bandog and Bedlam!" Offers the jailer

and I gasp in pity

"No, I don't!" the Doctor quickly replies

"Wait here, my lords, while I make him decent for the ladies." He walks away.

"So this is what you call a hospital, yeah? Where the patients are whipped to entertain the gentry? And you put your friend in here?" Martha scolds

"Oh, and it's all so different in Freedonia." Huffs Shakespeare

"But you're clever! Do you honestly think this place is any good?" Martha begs

"I've been mad. I've lost my mind. Fear of this place set me right again. It serves its purpose." Shakespeare answers, quietly

"Mad in what way?" I ask

"You lost your son." The Doctor whispers to him and I suddenly understand

"My only boy. The Black Death took him. I wasn't even there." His voice breaks

"I didn't know. I'm sorry." Martha answers, her eyes flashing to me for a second

"It made me question everything. The futility of this fleeting existence. To be or not to be... oh, that's quite good." Shakespeare says to us

"You should write that down." The Doctor suggests

"Hm, maybe not. A bit pretentious?" He asks us

"This way, m'lord!" the jailer calls and we walk down the hall to Peter Streete's cell and the jailer unlocks the door.

"They can be dangerous, m'lord. Don't know their own strength." Warns the jailer

"I think it helps if you don't whip them! Now get out!" the Doctor yells and The jailer leaves. The Doctor approaches Peter slowly.

"Peter? Peter Streete?" the Doctor calls

"He's the same as he was. You'll get nothing out of him." Sighs Shakespeare

"Peter?" the Doctor lays a hand on peter's shoulder and his head jerks up and he looks at the Doctor with wild, glassy eyes and seems like he wants to speak.

"Peter, I'm the Doctor. Go into the past, one year ago. Let your mind go back, back to when everything was fine and shining. Everything that happened in this year since happened to somebody else. It was just a story. A winter's tale. Let go. Listen. That's it, just let go." He lies Peter down on his cot " Tell me the story, Peter. Tell me about the witches." He urges

"Witches spoke to Peter. In the night, they whispered. Got Peter to build the Globe to their design. Their design! The 14 walls, always 14. When the work was done." Peter laughs, madly "they sapped poor Peter's wits."

"Where did Peter see the witches? Where in the city?" the Doctor crouches beside Peter "Peter, tell me. You've got to tell me where were they?"

"All Hallows Street." Whimpers Peter

"Too many words." A raspy voice yells and a witch-looking woman appeared suddenly beside the Doctor, who stumbles back towards us


	14. Chapter 14

_"All Hallows Street." Whimpers Peter_

 _"Too many words." A raspy voice yells and a witch-looking woman appeared suddenly beside the Doctor, who stumbles back towards us_

"What the hell?" Martha demands

"Just one touch of the heart." The witch lays her hand on Peter's chest.

"Noooo!" scream the Doctor and I as Peter wails and then dies.

"Witch! I'm seeing a witch!" shrieks Shakespeare

"Who would be next, hmm? Just one touch." Teases the witch and the Doctor shoves me behind him

"Oh, oh, I'll stop your frantic hearts. Poor, fragile mortals." Cackles the witch

The door slams shut and we're trapped in the room with the witch

"Let us out! Let us out!" Martha bangs on the door

"That's not gonna work. The whole building's shouting that." Warns the Doctor

"Who will die first, hmm?" she looks at me "the little gold haired one?"

"Well, if you're looking for volunteers." The Doctor walks towards her, and I grasp his sleeve

"No! Don't!" I cry

"Doctor, can you stop her?" begs Shakespeare

"No mortal has power over me." The witch laughs haughtily

"Oh, but there's a power in words. If I can find the right one, if I can just know you..." Mutters the Doctor

"None on Earth has knowledge of us." Smiles the witch

"Then it's a good thing I'm here. Now think, think, think... Humanoid female, uses shapes and words to channel energy... ah, 14! That's it! 14! The 14 stars of the Rexel planetary configuration! Creature, I name you Carrionite!" The witch wails and disappears.

"What did you do?" I demand

"I named her. The power of a name. That's old magic." The Doctor explains

"But there's no such thing as magic." Martha questions

"Well, it's just a different sort of science. You lot, you chose mathematics. Given the right string of numbers, the right equation, you can split the atom. Carrionites use words instead." He explains to us

"Use them for what?" Shakespeare asks, nervously

"The end of the world." The Doctor answers, darkly

"The Carrionites disappeared way back at the dawn of the universe. Nobody was sure if they were real or legend." The Doctor explains to us, once we had returned to the safety of Shakespeare's room

"Well, I'm going for real." Shakespeare responds

"But what do they want?" Martha asks

"A new empire on Earth. A world of bones and blood and witchcraft."

"But how?" I ask

"I'm looking at the man with the words." The Doctor answers, staring at Shakespeare

"Me? But I've done nothing." Explains Shakespeare

"Hold on, though. What were you doing last night, when that Carrionite was in the room?"

"Finishing the play." Shrugs Shakespeare

"What happens on the last page?" asks the Doctor, darkly

"The boys get the girls. They have a bit of a dance. It's all as funny and thought provoking as usual, except those last few lines. Funny thing is... I don't actually remember writing them…" Shakespeare's face grows confused

"That's it. They used you. They gave you the final words. Like a spell, like a code. "Love's Labours Won", it's a weapon! The right combination of words, spoken at the right place with the shape of the Globe as an energy converter! The play's the thing! And yes, you can have that." The Doctor yells he runs to the books on the shelf and rips one off, opening it to reveal a map of London

"All Hallows Street. There it is. Martha, Rose, we'll track them down. Will, you get to the Globe. Whatever you do, stop that play!" Yells the Docotr

"I'll do it." He shakes the Doctor's hand "All these years I've been the cleverest man around. Next to you, I know nothing."

"Oh, don't complain." Huffs Martha

"I'm not. It's marvellous. Good luck, Doctor." Grins Shakespeare

"Good luck, Shakespeare. Once more unto the breach!"

"I like that. Wait a minute... that's one of mine."

"Oh, just shift!" urges the Doctor and Shakespeare hurries away

"Come on!" the Doctor yells, ripping the map from the book and hurrying out of the inn.

We run down street after steet until the Doctor slows to a srop

"All Hallows Street, but which house?" he mutters, looking about

"The thing is, though... am I missing something here? The world didn't end in 1599. It just didn't. Look at me, I'm living proof." Martha asks us, confused

"Oh, how to explain the mechanics of the infinite temporal flux? I know! "Back to the Future"! It's like "Back to the Future"!" he grins at us

"The film?" Martha asks

"No, the novelisation. Yes, the film. Marty McFly goes back and changes history!"

"And he starts fading away…." Martha Realises what he means "Oh my God, am I gonna fade?"

"You and the entire future of the human race. It ends right now in 1599 if we don't stop it. But which house?"

The door to one house slowly opens.

"Ah, make that witch house." He grins and we walk inside, where a witch is waiting.

"I take it we're expected." The Doctor says, cheerily

"Oh, I think Death has been waiting for you a very long time." Grins the witch

"Right then, it's my turn." Martha steps forward "I know how to do this." She points "I name thee, Carrionite!"

The witch is unaffected.

"What did I do wrong? Was it the finger?" Martha turns back to the Doctor and I

"The power of a name works only once. Observe." The witch taunts and points her finger at Martha "I gaze upon this bag of bones and now I name thee Martha Jones." Martha collapses and the Doctor catches her, lowering her to the ground.

"What have you done?" he demands

"Only sleeping, alas. Curious, the name has less impact. She's somehow out of her time. And as for you, Sir Doctor!" She points, expecting a reaction "Fascinating. There is no name. Why would a man hide his title in such despair? Oh, but look." She looks at me

"There's still one word with the power that aches." She grins

"The naming won't work on me." Warns the Doctor

"But your heart grows cold. The north wind blows and carries down the distant... Rose?" She grins, and I collapse, but I don't fall asleep like Martha, I'm just immobile on the floor.

The Doctor stands protectively in front of me

"Oh, big mistake 'cos that name keeps me fighting!" He hisses, though he stumbles slightly as if he took whatever the rest of the blow the Carrionite fixed on me instead "The Carrionites vanished! Where did you go?"

"The Eternals found the right word to banish us into deep darkness." Responds the witch as I grow sleepy

"And how did you escape?" the Doctor asks

"New words. New and glittering from a mind like no other."

"Shakespeare." he mutters

"His son perished. The grief of a genius. Grief without measure. Madness enough to allow us entrance." She grins "You should understand…" she considers him "As beautiful as dawn with various form a combination of Wolf and Storm?"

"Don't. Don't you dare." The Doctor growls, as she laughs

"How many of you?" He asks, covering his emotion

"Just the three. But the play tonight shall restore the rest. Then the human race will be purged as pestilence. And from this world we will lead the universe back to the old ways of blood and magic." She cackles

"Hmm... busy schedule... but first you gotta get past me." He straightens up, still protecting me, and stands face-to-face with the witch.

"Oh, that should be a pleasure considering my enemy has such a handsome shape." The witch seductively runs her hand along his face and I glare

"Now, that's one form of magic that's definitely not gonna work on me." He snarls

"Oh, I know. Your heart has an owner already. As for magic, we'll see." She yanks a lock of hair from his head and backs away.

"What did you do?" he demands

"Souvenir." Grins the witch

"Well, give it back!"

The witch throws up arms and the window behind her opens and she flies out backwards, levitating outside. The Doctor runs to the window

"Well, that's just cheating."

"Behold, Doctor. Men to Carrionites are nothing but puppets." She pulls out a doll and wraps his hair about it.

Slowly, my limbs unfreeze and I struggle to the Doctor as he says

"Now, you might call that magic... I'd call that a DNA replication module."

"What use is your science now?" She stabs the doll. The Doctor lets out a cry and falls to the floor as the witch cackles and flies away.

I crawl to the Doctor

"Oh my God! Doctor! Don't worry, I've got you." I struggle to roll him onto his back and I listen for a heartbeat. There's only one.

"Two hearts?" I mutter "You're making a habit of this." I sigh as his eyes open

"Maybe!" He stands and I follow, but he nearly falls

"Aahh!" he grasps his chest as I support him, but he's heavy and I quickly let both of us slide to the floor, sitting down.

"I've only got one heart working. How do you people cope? I've got to get the other one started. Hit me! Hit me on the chest!" He orders and I punch him on the chest

"Aahh! Other side!" I hit him again "On the back! On the back!" I do "Left a bit! " Ahh, lovely. There we go! Ba-da-boom!" he grins at me

"You've got to stop hurting yourself like this." I murmur "I wont be around to save you forever."

"But you promised." He pouts teasingly.

"But not your forever." I whisper

He becomes sullen "Don't think of that." He whispers back ,pressing a kiss to my lips.

I deepen the kiss, my arms sliding around his neck, pulling myself into his lap as he arms support my back

"Well, what are two just snogging for?" Martha yells and we break apart quickly "The Globe!"

I scramble off the Doctor, all of us running towards the Globe.

"We're going the wrong way!" Martha argues as we turn down another street

"No, we're not!" the Doctor responds, turning down a different street. "We're going the wrong way!" he changes his mind, and we run back the way we came.

We arrive at the Globe a few minutes later

"Stage door!" the Doctor hisses to us as we run around the back, Thunderclouds and lightening forming over the Globe mixing with a red glow.

We burst in backstage to see Shakespeare nursing his head.

"Stop the play! I think that was it. Yeah, I said, "Stop the play"!" Scolds the Doctor

"I hit my head." Mutters Shakespeare

"Yeah, don't rub it, you'll go bald." The Doctor responds

We hear screams from out front "I think that's my cue!" He grabs my hand and we run out, Martha and Shakespeare following us.

"Now begins the millennium of blood!" Cackle the carrionites.

"The Doctor! He lives! Then watch this world become a blasted heath! They come! They come!" They screech as hordes of Carrionites are freed from the crystal fly about the Globe.

"Come on, Will! History needs you!" the Doctor grabs Shakespeare

"But what can I do?" he looks lost

"Reverse it!" Orders the Doctor

"How am I supposed to do that?" whimpers Shakespeare

"The shape of the Globe gives words power, but you're the wordsmith, the one true genius. The only man clever enough to do it!" Yells the Doctor

"But what words? I have none ready!"

"You're William Shakespeare!"

"But these Carrionite phrases, they need such precision!"

"Trust yourself. When you're locked away in your room, the words just come, don't they? Like magic." I encourage him and the Doctor nods

"Words of the right sound, the right shape, the right rhythm, words that last forever! That's what you do, Will! You choose perfect words. Do it. Improvise!"

"Close up this den of hateful, dire decay! Decomposition of your witches' plot! You thieve my brains, consider me your toy. My doting Doctor tells me I am not!"

"No! Words of power!" hisses the witch who tried to kill the Doctor

"Foul Carrionite spectres, cease your show! Between the points... He looks to the Doctor.

"7-6-1-3-9-0!"

"7-6-1-3-9-0!" repeats Shakeseare "And banished like a tinker's cuss, I say to thee..." Again, looks to the Doctor who is at a loss.

"Expelliarmus!" Yells Martha

"Expelliarmus!" The Doctor echoes

"Expelliarmus!" I shout

"Expelliarmus!" Shakespear Yells

"Good old JK!" snorts the Doctor as the Carrionites scream.

"The deep darkness! They are consumed! Ahhh!"

The wraith-like carrionites get sucked up into the cloud, tornado fashion, as do all copies of the play.

""Love's Labours Won". There it goes." The Doctor whispers to us

The cloud dissipates and the audience sighs in relief then begins applauding. The Doctor ducks out as actors take their bows, taking my hand too. We stand not too far from Martha and Shakespeare

"They think it was all special effects." Martha laughs in amazement

"Your effect is special indeed." He smiles at her

"It's not your best line." Winces Martha and I laugh, turning away.

"Well, I think she did well for a first trip." He grins at me

"I agree."


	15. Chapter 15

_"Well, I think she did well for a first trip." He grins at me_

 _"I agree."_

Later, we're checking the globe to make sure it wont be used negatively again, but I got bored and now I'm eavesdropping on Martha and Shakespeare"And I say, a heart for a hart and a dear for a deer." Laughs Shakespeare

"I don't get it." Sighs Martha

"Then give me a joke from Freedonia."

"OK, Shakespeare walks into a pub and the landlord says "oi, mate, you're bard"." Martha laughs

"It's brilliant! Doesn't make sense, mind you, but never mind that." he wraps his hand about her waist "Come here."

"I've only just met you." Martha deflects, politely

"The Doctor will never kiss you. Why not entertain a man who will?" Shakespeare responds and I raise my eyebrows

"I don't know how to tell you this, oh great genius, but your breath doesn't half stink" Martha winces

The Doctor emerges from backstage wearing a ruff collar and carrying an animal skull.

"Good props store back there! I'm not sure about this though" He looks at skull "Reminds me of a Sycorax." He looks at me

"I agree!" I laugh, walking over

"Sycorax. Nice word. I'll have that off you as well." Shakespeare nods

"I should be on 10%. How's your head?" the Doctor answers, wandering over

"Still aching."

"Here, I got you this." he removes a collar and puts it on Shakespeare's neck. "Neck brace. Wear that for a few days till it's better, although you might wanna keep

it. It suits you."

I stifle a laugh

"What about the play?" Martha asks

"Gone. I looked all over, every single copy of "Love's Labours' Won" went up in the sky.

"My lost masterpiece."

"You could write it up again.:"suggests Martha

"Yeah, better not, Will. There's still power in those words. Maybe it should best stay forgotten."

"Oh, but I've got new ideas. Perhaps it's time I wrote about fathers and sons. In memory of my boy, my precious Hamnet." He sighs

"Hamnet?" I double check, quickly

"That's him." Nods Shakespeare

"Ham-net?" Martha repeats

"What's wrong with that?" Shakespeare looks between us, confused

"Anyway, time we were off. I've got a nice attic in the Tardis where this lot" He holds a crystal ball with the carrionites in it "can scream for all eternity and I've got to take Martha back to Freedonia." The Doctor announces

"You mean travel on through time and space. " Corrects Shakespeare and our mouths drop open

"You what?" The Doctor asks

"You're from another world like the Carrionites and Martha and Rose are from the future. It's not hard to work out." Shrugs Shakespeare

"That's... incredible. You are incredible." The Doctor gasps

"We're alike in many ways, Doctor. Martha, let me say goodbye to you in a new verse. A sonnet for my Dark Lady. Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou

art more lovely and more temperate..." He starts

"Will! Will! You'll never believe it! She's here! She's turned up!" Yells one of the actors

"We're the talk of the town. She heard us! She wants us to perform it again!" Yells another

"Who?" I ask

"Her Majesty! She's here!" the first actor says, breathless

There's fanfare as Elizabeth I enters.

"Queen Elizabeth I!" Grins the Doctor to us, excited

"Doctor!" Yells Queen Elizabeth

"What?" the smile slides off the Doctor's face

"My sworn enemy!" She yells

"What?" he demands

"Off with his head!" she cries

"What?"

"Never mind "what", just run!" I shove him backwards

"See you, Will! And thanks!" Martha calls over her shoulder as we run off backstage

"Stop that pernicious Doctor!" shrieks Queen Elizabeth

We run through the streets to the Tardis. A soldier appears out of nowhere

"Stop in the name of the Queen!" he yells

"What have you done to upset her?" I demand

"How should I know? Haven't even met her yet. That's time travel for you! Still, can't wait to find out." he unlocks the Tardis and Martha runs in

"That's something to look forward to." He shoves me into the Tardis

"Oh!" He ducks inside as archers fire, embedding an arrow in the door. He runs in, slams the door shut and rushes to the console, and we dematerialize.

The Doctor bounds around the Tardis, clearly in a great mood.

Martha clearly isn't very happy, but I don't want to call attention to it.

"Just one trip. 'S'what I said. One trip, in the Tardis, and then home. Although, I suppose we could, stretch the definition. Try one trip to the past, one trip to the

future. How do you fancy that?" The Doctor asks us, looking at Martha

"No complaints from me!" Martha gasps, thrilled to be asked to go on another adventure

"How about a different planet?" He offers, grinning

"Can we go to yours?" Martha asks and The Doctor's excitement ebbs almost immediately.

I remember what happened to his planet from when he let me see into his mind, months ago after we helped save Reinette.

He turns away from us.

"Ahh, there's plenty of other places!"

"Come on, though! I mean, Planet of the Time Lords, that's got to be worth a look! What's it like?" Martha asks, not picking up on the sensitive subject, again.

"Well, it's beautiful, yeah." He replies

"Is it like, you know, outer space cities, all spires and stuff?" Martha asks

"Suppose it is." He answers, shortly

"Great big temples and cathedrals!"

He's so clearly avoiding this topic. Martha is oblivious, lost in cheerful imagination.

"Yeah." He mutters

"Lots of planets in the sky?" She asks

"The sky's a burnt orange, with the Citadel enclosed in a mighty glass dome, shining under the twin suns. Beyond that, the mountains go on forever, slopes of deep red grass, capped with snow." He smiles wistfully Martha is utterly enthralled.

"Can we go there?" Martha asks, and the Doctor meets my gaze, with momentary sadness, before launching into his normal excitement

"Naah! Where's the fun for me? I don't want to go home! Instead..."

He begins to dance around the main console, tweaking settings as he goes.

"This is much better. Year five billion and fifty-three, planet New Earth! You remember Rose!"

"Doctor, I really don't…" I start with dismay. I don't want to go back to where we had our first trip with Wolfe.

"…Second hope of mankind! Fifty thousand light years from your old world, and we'll land slap bang in the middle of New New York. Although, technically it's the

fifteenth New York from the original, so it's New New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York. One of the most dazzling cities

ever built. We're lucky that we're just flying by. Just another moment…."

We land with the usual wheezing, and the Doctor throws on his overcoat, completely ignoring me as I slowly back away from the door.

He flings open the door to reveal a pouring rain shower. Martha scowls and hurriedly zips up her jacket.

"Oh, that's nice! Time Lord version of dazzling."

I'm too upset to laugh

"Nah, bit of rain never hurt anyone. Come on. Rose?" He turns to look at me, standing firmly in the console room. His grin falls at my facial expression, which to him

must be somewhere between dismay and anger

"Rose?"

He looks so hopeful, like he knows he's being painful, and he wants so desperately to do this.

"Fine." I sigh.

He grins, offering his hand to me as Martha waits in the rain.

I hurry to him, taking his hand. He gives it a squeeze, and presses a quick kiss to my lips.

"I know what I'm doing, I promise." He whispers to me, before leading me into the rain, yelling loudly "Let's get under cover!"

We're running through a junk-ridden street, past what look like giant dumpsters and old laundry swinging from a line.

"Well, it looks like the same old Earth to me. On a Wednesday afternoon." Martha huffs, unimpressed

"Hold on, hold on. Let's have a look." The Doctor pleads

He goes over to a dead screen on the wall, and we hear the sonic screwdriver buzzing. Once static appears, the Doctor bangs on the top of the screen himself, and

a woman flickers into view.

"... and the driving should be clear and easy, with fifteen extra lanes open for the New New Jersey expressway." The image on the screen shifts to reveal the New

New York above ground, a gorgeous spired city on the coast of a large river, with sleek flying vehicles zooming in the air.

"Oh, that's more like it! That's the New we had last time. This must be the lower levels. Down in the base of the tower, some sort of under-city."

"You've brought me to the slums?" Chuckles Martha

"Much more interesting! It's all cocktails and glitter up there. This is the real city. Plus, Rose hasn't seen this part yet." He grins at me, tugging me closer.

"You'd enjoy anything." I sigh, smiling despite myself at him

"That's me. Oh, the rain's stopping! Better and better!" He grins

"When you say "last time", was that When Wolfe was with you?" Martha asks and the Doctor's grin fades slightly.

"Um, yeah. Yeah, it was, yeah."

"You're taking me to the same planets that you took her?" She looks between us

"What's wrong with that?" He looks confused

"Nothing. Just... I'm not a replacement, yeah?"

She pushes past him, vexed.

We stare after her, the Doctor confused while I am mad.

She could never replace our daughter and I had hoped telling her about Wolfe would help but it seems not.

Suddenly a man flips open the top of the large green boxes to reveal a street vendor's cart. Around us, many others do the same, appearing and shouting out their

wares.

"Oh! You should have said. How long you been there? Happy! You want Happy!" Yells one

"Customers! Customers! We've got customers!" Shouts another

"We're in business! Mother, open up the Mellow, and the Read!" Orders a third

"Happy, Happy, lovely happy Happy!" Giggles the first one again

"Anger! Buy some Anger!" Yells a fourth

"Get some Mellow, makes you feel all bendy and soft all day long!" advertises the third

"Younger, them. They'll rip you off. Do you want some happy?"

"No, thanks." Frowns the Doctor, letting go of my hand to tug Martha away from them

"Are they selling drugs?" She asks

"I think they're selling moods." He grimaces

"Same thing, isn't it?" I ask, walking around Martha and the Doctor to stand on the Doctor's other side.

Other, more bedragged-looking people walk into the alleyway behind us. These newcomers draw more cries from the pharmacists. A pale woman dressed in very

dark clothes walks with intent toward the stalls.

"Over here, sweetheart! That's it, come on, I'll get you first!"

"Oy! Oy, you! Over here! Over here! Buy some Happy!"

"Come over here, yeah. And what can I get you, my love?"

"I want to buy Forget."

"I've got Forget, my darling. What strength? How much you want forgetting?" Asks the man to her

"It's my mother and father. They went on the motorway." Sighs the pale woman

"Oh, that's so sweet." He reaches behind him into the stall, pulls out a small circular token, and holds it out to the pale woman.

"Try this. Forget Forty-three. That's two pence." The pale woman pays the man and turns away, the token still in her hand. Before she can do anything with it, the

Doctor stops her.

"Sorry, but, hold on a minute. What happened to your parents?" demands the Doctor

"They drove off." Sighs the pale woman

"They might drive back." I offer

"Everyone goes to the motorway in the end. I've lost them." She sighs

"But they can't have gone far. You could find them."

The pale woman just looks at us, then looks down with a sigh. She sticks the circular token to her neck.

"No, no, no, don't!" begs the Doctor but he is too late. Once the token has been applied, the pale woman's expression changes almost instantly. She seems docile,

serene; a bit out of it, but blithely unaware of her surroundings.

"I'm sorry, what were you saying?" she asks us

"Your parents. Your mother and father. They're on the motorway." The Doctor practically yells

"Are they? That's nice." Sighs the pale woman

Martha makes a disbelieving face, and looks to the Doctor. He is disturbed, but not surprised.

"I'm sorry. I won't keep you." We watch her go with frowns on our faces, the Doctor pensive, Martha upset and a little scornful, I am horrified.

"So that's the human race five billion years in the future. Off their heads on chemicals."

"Pretty much." I sigh,

Suddenly someone grabs me grabs from behind, throwing an arm around my neck and dragging me off.

"Doctor!" I scream, but one woman's got a gun pointed at Martha and the Doctor, who turn around just in time to see me dragged through a doorway.

"I'm sorry, I'm really, really sorry. We just need three, that's all." Mutters the man to me

"No, let her go! I'm warning you, let her go! Whatever you want, I can help. We can help. But first you've got to let her go!" Screams the Doctor, running forward "Please! Please let her go!"

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. Sorry." Apologizes the woman, almost crying,

She slams the door behind us and the man drags me down the hallway by my arm. We emerge in daylight, running down a fire escape

"The Doctor is so gonna kill you, and never mind him, I'm gonna kill you myself! Let go of me!" I shout, managing to break his grip, running away, but he grabs me

again, around the waist, pulling me closer and looking to the girl. We've stopped in front of a large black car.

"Give her some Sleep." Orders the man

"Don't you dare! Don't put that stuff in me, don't! Get off me!" I shriek

"It's just Sleep Fourteen" the woman reaches into the vehicle behind her and pulls out another token, just like the one we saw the pale woman use, and makes to

press it into my neck. I wriggle in all directions, frantic, but the man holds me still

"I'm telling you, don't!" I shout

The moment the token touches my neck, everything goes black.


	16. Chapter 16

_"I'm telling you, don't!" I shout_

 _The moment the token touches my neck, everything goes black._

I open my eyes, everything fuzzy and distorted. I see an odd green light above me. I look around as my vision starts to clear, revealing containers of pills and liquid next to

me. I hear vague voices in the background.

"Yeah. The view from the windows. You can see all the way out to the flatlands." A woman says.

I reach sleepily for the token at my neck, recalling what happened. I pull it off and throw it away.

"The sky... They say the air smells like apple grass. Can you imagine?" giggles the woman

"The houses are made of wood. There are jobs going in the foundries. Everyone says so!" responds the man

I sit up, looking around quickly for something to help me escape. There's a gun sitting on a computer screen next to my head. I grab it, standing somewhat unsteadily, pointing it at my captors.

"Take me back. Whoever you are, just take me back to the Doctor. That's all I want. I won't cause any trouble. Just take me back!" I order

My captors look at each other

"I'm sorry. That's not a real gun." The woman says

"Yeah, well, you would say that." I snarl, less sure of myself now

"Where do you get a gun from, these days? I wouldn't even know how to fire." Sighs the woman

I look at the gun in my hand, recalling all the times that the Doctor has avoided them. He'd be ashamed to see me holding one like this.

"No, nor me. Okay." I lower it.

"What's your name?" grins the woman

"Rose. Rose Tyler." I come gingerly toward the front of the car to stand behind them.

"Well, I'm Cheen, and this is Milo. And I swear we're sorry. We're really, really sorry. We just needed access to the fast line, but I promise, as soon as we arrive, we'll drop you off and you can go back and find your friend." Cheen says

"Seriously?" I gasp

"I swear! Look." She pulls back her hair to reveal a token on her neck. It's the same as the one I had on earlier, but this one has the word "HONESTY" printed on it, with the number "36."

"Honesty patch."

"All the same, that's still kidnapping! Where are we, anyway?" I chastise

"We're on the motorway."

"What's that, then? Fog?" I look out the window, seeing only brownish gas

"That's the exhaust fumes. We're going out to Brooklyn. Everyone says the air's so much cleaner, and we couldn't stay in Pharmacy Town, 'cause..." Milo rubs Cheen's knee, and she grins up at me.

"Well, 'cause of me. I'm pregnant. We only discovered it last week. Scan says it's going to be a girl."

Milo makes a mock victory gesture; he's as thrilled as Cheen.

"Great. What do I do now, congratulate my kidnappers?" I sigh

"Oh, we're not kidnappers. Not really." Winces Cheen

"Nope. You're idiots! You're having a baby, and you're wearing that?" I ask, ripping the honesty patch from Cheen's neck. Cheen gives a small yelp of pain.

"Not anymore." I snort

"This'll be as fast as we can. We'll take the motorway to the Brooklyn flyover, and then after that it's gonna take awhile, 'cause then there's no fast lane, just ordinary roads, but at least it's direct." Milo grins

"It's only ten miles." Shrugs Cheen  
"How long is it gonna take?" I ask, desperate to be back with the Doctor

"About six years." Cheen answers, nonchalantly and my jaw drops

"What?" I demand

"Be just in time for her to start school." Milo and Cheen giggle, fresh new parents all over.

My stomach lurches.

"Nope. Sorry. Hold on. Six years? Ten miles in six years? How come?" I demand

"Too many cars." Shrugs Milo

"How many cars are out there?"

"I don't think anyone knows." Cheen answers as she hops up, walks behind me and grabs something, holding it out to me "Here you go. Hungry?"

"Oh, thanks." I take it, and start munching on a large round wafer.

"About how far down is it to this fast lane?" I ask around my mouthful

"Oh, it's right at the bottom, underneath the traffic jam. But not many people can afford three passengers, so it's empty down there. Rumor has it you can reach up to thirty miles per hour" He grins

"Wow. That's, like, crazy." I deadpan

Milo and Cheen laugh, amused.

I look around the car curiously.

"But how are you supposed to live inside this thing? It's tiny." I think of the Tardis, and smile to myself.

"Oh, we stocked up. Got self-replicating fuel, muscle stimulants for exercise, and there's a chemical toilet at the back. And all waste products are recycled as food." I stop eating at once, looking at my half eaten wafer.

"O-kay." I drop the wafer as fast as I possibly can.

"Oh, another gap, this is brilliant!" Laughs Milo

"Car sign in." an electric voice asks

"Car Four Six Five Diamond Six, on descent to fast lane, thanks very much."

"Please drive safely." The electronic voice announces

We slowly descend through the massive lines of cars. The screen shows the line representing Car Four Six Five Diamond Six, and it is now moving from Level 39 to Level 43. Milo's hand points at it.

"See? Another ten layers to go. We're scorching." He smiles at me

I nod, but I'm still worried about getting back to the Doctor.

A low noise sounds; it's like a mix between a creak and a growl.

"What's that?" I ask as the sound comes again. "It's coming from underneath."

"It does have noise, doesn't it? It's like Kate said. The stories are true." Cheen says

"What stories?" I demand

"It's the sound of the air vents. That's all. The exhaust fumes travel down, so at the base of the tunnel they've got air vents." Sighs an exasperated Milo

"No, the stories are much better." Cheen stubbornly responds and Milo chuckles, a little derisively, a little fondly, and looks away.

"They say people go missing on the motorway. Some cars just vanish, never to be seen again. 'Cause there's something living down there, in the smoke. Something huge. And hungry. And if you get lost on the road... it's waiting for you."

As the rumbling noise gets louder and louder, we all stare at each other nervously. Milo shifts in his seat.

"But like I said. Air vents." He presses buttons on the console. "Going down to the next layer."

"Except look out there. Does it look like the air vents are working?" I point out as the smog is impossibly thick

"No." Whispers Cheen

The sound keeps getting louder. Now there's growling and crashing.

"So what's that, then?" I hiss

Milo shakes his head. "Nah. Kid stuff." He holds up his transmitter.

"Four Six Five Diamond Six, on descent."

"You have reached Brooklyn Junction." The computer announces

The computer reads "BROOKLYN JUNCTION," and below it three choices reading "EXIT 1," "EXIT 2," and "EXIT 3."

Milo taps exit one

"JUNCTION CLOSED." The computer flashes

We stare in solemn silence.

"Try again." Urges Cheen

Milo taps "EXIT 1." Again

At the bottom of the screen, a large red message beeps

"Brooklyn Turnoff One closed."

"Try the next one." I suggest

"Brooklyn Turnoff Two closed."

Cheen lets out an anguished moan. "What do we do?

"We'll keep going round. We'll do the whole loop. By the time we come back round, they'll be open." Milo promises

The rumbling noise sounds again, much louder and we all look around in panic.

"You're still calling that air vents?" I demand

"What else could it be?" Milo yells back

Again, the noise.

"What the hell is that?" whimpers Cheen, one hand flying to her stomach

"It's just, the hydraulics." Sooths Milo

"Sounds like it's... alive." I whisper

"It's all exhaust fumes out there. Nothing could breathe in that." Milo promises

"Calling Car Four Six Five Diamond Six. Repeat, calling Car Four Six Five Diamond Six." The electronic voice barks

"This is Car Four Six Five Diamond Six. Who's that? Where are you?"

"I'm in the fast lane, about fifty yards behind. Can you get back up? Can you get off the fast lane?" the voice says

"We only have permission to go down. We... we need the Brooklyn Flyover." Milo responds

"It's closed. Go back up." Answers the voice

"We can't. We'll just go round." Milo responds, firmly

"Don't you understand? They're closed. They're always closed." The voice responds and Cheen claps her hands over her mouth, in more distress than ever. She's letting out frightened gasps. "We're stuck down here. And there's something else. Out there, in the fog. Can't you hear it?" There is a definite shrill roar sounding outside now.

"That's the air vents." Milo says, firmly

"Jehovah! What are you, some stupid kid? Get out of here!" Yells the voice on the phone

The roar sounds again.

"What was that?" yells Milo

"I can't move! They've got us!"

"But what's happening?" wails Milo

I leap forwards, grabbing the transmitter "What's got you? What is it?" The voice yells something unintelligible.

"Hello?"

"Just drive, you idiots! Get out of here! Get out!" Screams the voice

"Can you hear me?! Hello?" Milo grabs the transmitter back again

"Just drive! Do what she said, get us out of here!" I yell

"But where?" Milo cries

"Just straight ahead! And fast!" I order

"What is it? What's out there? What is it?" sobs Cheen

Milo starts the car forward extremely fast.

The car is jolting more than ever, and everyone is panicking

"Go faster!" shrieks Cheen

"I'm at top speed!" Milo yells back

The screen reads, "PROXIMITY WARNING." No access above."

"But this is an emergency!" Milo yells

"Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold."

I stare into the fog, wondering what the Doctor would do, and then it hits me

"Turn everything off!" I order

"You've got to be joking." Milo gasps

"No, listen, it's all fog out there, so how can they see us? Maybe it's the engines, the sound, or the heat, or the light, I don't know! Turn everything off. They might not be able to find us." I explain, quickly

"What if you're wrong?" whimpers Milo

"It can't be worse than this! Just do it!"

Milo goes for it, flicking switches at the top of the car and on the console.

We sink to the ground, everything off and silent.

"They've stopped." Whispers Cheen

"Yeah, but they're still out there."

We glance around nervously.

Cheen turns to look at me "How did you think of that?" She demands

I open my mouth to explain the Doctor, but I can't find the words, especially since I just realize that I probably wont see him again.

I lick my lips quickly, remembering our painfully short kiss.

If I ever see him again I'm going to give him such a good snog…

"Well?" Cheen asks

"Oh. I saw it on a film." I say instead "They used to do it in submarines. Trouble is, I can't remember what they did next." I sigh

"Well, you better think of something, because we've lost the aircon. If we don't switch the engines back on, we won't be able to breathe." Milo sighs

"How long have we got?" I demand

"Eight minutes, maximum." Milo replies, quietly


	17. Chapter 17

_"_ _How long have we got?" I demand_

 _"_ _Eight minutes, maximum." Milo replies, quietly_

"How much air's left?" I ask, my breathing already strained with the filth getting into the car

"Two minutes." Whispers Milo back, over Cheen's sobs

"There's always the Doctor. That friend of mine. He might think of something." I encourage, praying that he's coming for us

"Rose, no one's coming." Milo hisses

I tear up slightly.

Cheen sees this and smiles at me "He looked kind of nice." She offers and I smile

"He's a bit more than that." I snort, picturing his deep eyes, sharp jaw and wonderful hair.

"Are you and him...?" Cheen traisl off

"Yeah." I grin, "Yeah, sort of." She nods, before silence falls again

"I never even asked. Where's home?" she looks at me

"It's a long way away. I didn't really think. I just followed the Doctor, and..." I swallow "There's nothing for me back home anymore. All my family…long gone...just the Doctor and me." I shrug

"So, um, who is he, then? This Doctor?" Asks Milo

"He's…" I trail off "He's…I don't know how to explain it. There's so much he never says."

"But that means that... the only hope, right now is... a complete stranger." Cheen is horrified. "Well, that's no use!"

"It is, though, because you haven't seen the things he can do. Honestly, just trust me, both of you. You've got your faith, you've got your songs and your hymns. And I've got the Doctor." I grin, suddenly full of hope.

"Right." Milo turns the car back on.

"Systems back on line."

The lights come on again, and Milo grips Cheen's hand briefly.

"Good luck." He says to us and we speed forward

We can hear as things scrape along the outside of the car. One finally catches us, and sparks fly into the cabin. We scream. Something knocks against us and the car is free again, zooming through the fog.

We race along, and suddenly the Doctor appears on the screen

"Sorry, no Sally Calypso, she was just a hologram. My name's the Doctor. And this is an order. Everyone drive up. Right now. I've opened the roof of the motorway. Come on. Throttle those engines. Drive up. All of you, the whole under-city. Drive up, drive up, drive up! Fast! We've got to clear that fast lane. Drive up and get out of the way!" He yells "Oi! Car Four Six Five Diamond Six! Rose! Drive up!

"That's the Doctor!" I laugh, tears filling my eyes,

"We can't go up! We'll hit the layer!" protests Milo  
"Just do as he says! Go up!" I order

"You've got access above! Now go!" continues the Doctor as we soar upwards

The skylight is suddenly ablaze with sunlight and we stare up at it in joy

"It's daylight! Oh my God. That's the sky, the real sky!" Cheen shouts

"He did it!" I scream with laughter, clapping. I bend over to give Cheen a hug. "I told you, he did it!"

Milo and Cheen kiss.

"And Car Four Six Five Diamond Six, I've sent you a flight path. Come to the Senate." The doctor orders

"On my way!" I say into the transmitter

"It's been quite a while since I saw you, Rose Tyler." The Doctor's voice responds, affectionately

We land in the senate building. I run out of the car and tear down the hallway, ready to see the Doctor, with his wonderful overcoat and his beautiful brown pinstripe suit.

I start towards him, freezing at the skeletons on the floor

"Doctor?" I call

"Over here." He calls

"Doctor!" I run to him, face falling as soon as I see him kneeling in front of the broken case of the face of Boe, Martha besides him.

A flash of surprise shoots through me, as I had completely forgotten about her.

I run and kneel beside him

"Face of Boe!" I whisper, looking at him sadly

"Is he…" I start and the Doctor looks at me sadly

Tears fill my eye as I look at him.

"He's the one that saved you, not me." Explains the Doctor

"My lord gave his life to save the city." I look up in surprise to see Novice Hame, one of the cat nuns, "And now he's dying."

"No, don't say that. Not old Boe. Plenty of life left." Encourages the Doctor, weakly

"It's good to breathe the air once more."

"Legend says the Face of Boe has lived for billions of years. Isn't that right? And you're not about to give up now." The Doctor firmly says

"Everything has its time. You know that, old friends, better than most." Whispers the face of Boe "The legend says more."

"Don't. There's no need for that." The Doctor says, anguished

"It says that the Face of Boe will speak his final secret to a traveller."

"Yeah, but not yet. Who needs secrets, eh?" The Doctor desperately tries

"I have seen so much. Perhaps too much. I am the last of my kind, as you are the last of yours, Doctor."

The Doctor is absolutely desperate now. He does not want this at all.

"That's why we have to survive. Both of us. Don't go." Begs the Doctor, sounding broken. I take his hand

"I must. But know this, Time Lord. You are not alone."

Though before it seemed as though the Doctor would weep, now he is astounded, he stares, uncomprehending, as the Face of Boe's eyes close for the last time. Novice Hame begins to sob. The Doctor bows his head in respect, before standing.

In silence, we walk back through the city streets

By the time we've reached the pharmacists again, the Doctor's worked up enough energy to appear light again

"All closed down."

"Happy?" Martha asks and the Doctor forces a smile

"Happy, happy." The Doctor inspects one of the empty booths.

"New New York can start again. And they've got Novice Hame. Just what every city needs, cats in charge! Come on, time we were off." We head towards the Tardis

"But what did he mean, the Face of Boe?" Martha asks. The Doctor stops, lets go of my hand and turns around.

""You're not alone."" Martha repeats

"I don't know."

Martha steps toward him, smiling. "You've got me. Is that what he meant?"

The Doctor shakes his head "I don't think so. Sorry."

"Then what?" demands Martha

"Doesn't matter. Back to the Tardis, off we go." He grabs my hand and we head off again. The Doctor turns around again, and Martha is sitting in a chair, arms and legs crossed.

"All right, you staying?" I demand, annoyed

"'Till you talk to me properly, yes. He said "last of your kind." What does that mean?" The Doctor is desperately trying to appear flippant.

"It really doesn't matter."

"You don't talk. You never say! Why not?" she demands

Around us, the sound of music is rising. It's the new New New York citizens, singing another hymn. Instantly, Martha's enchanted.

"It's the city." Whispers Martha "They're singing."

The Doctor looks at her.

"I lied to you, 'cause I liked it. I could pretend. Just for a bit, I could imagine they were still alive, underneath a burnt orange sky." Whispers the Doctor, and I squeeze his hand as he swallows, hard.

Martha is shocked

"I'm not just a Time Lord. I'm the last of the Time Lords. The Face of Boe was wrong. There's no one else." His voice has darkened into anger

Martha shakes her head slightly.

"What happened?" Martha asks

"There was a war. A Time War. The last Great Time War. My people fought a race called the Daleks, for the sake of all creation. And they lost. They lost. Everyone lost. They're all gone now. My family, my friends, even that sky. Oh, you should have seen it, that old planet. The second sun would rise in the south, and the mountains would shine. The leaves on the trees were silver, and when they caught the light every morning, it looked like a forest on fire. When the autumn came, the breeze would blow through the branches like a song..." His voice is broken and a tear rolls down my cheek as I remember how he told me all of this, through his own mental images.

"That sounds beautiful." Martha whispers

"It was." The Doctor answers, still remembering. Then his face hardens and he looks at her angrily "But I killed them. All of them. All the Daleks and all the Timelords. That's how I know there's none left."

He turns and walks in silence back to the Tardis, not mad or angry, but just shattered.

Martha's barely in the doors before he dematerializes us.

"Time for bed. I'll see you in a few hours Martha." The Doctor dismisses, shortly

"Goodnight Doctor, Goodnight Rose." Martha responds, looking pitifully at the Doctor, as we walk, still hand and hand down the corridor. We walk into his room and he shuts the door.

I wrap my arms around him, trying desperately to comfort him as I can see the reflection of his past horrors in his eyes.

Pressing against him, I find myself overwhelmed with emotion. He does everything for everybody else, and loses everything in return. I suddenly understand why he came back here. He needed to associate this place with something else. To give it a meaning that wouldn't hurt. He's not replacing the memory, he's hiding it. He's trying to spare himself pain the best he can.

"I love you." I whisper softly before I can think about it.

I feel him body go ridged with shock and for one horrifying second he makes to pull away, to run away, then he relaxes. I shut my eyes, and seconds tick by.

The silence is painfully loud.

"I love you too." He whispers, and my eyes fly open in shock. "You were right." He hugs me closer "I didn't realize until I'd lost you today how much I need you. I do need you and I do…I do love you. I don't want you to leave, and I want you to be…would you be…" he trails off, hopelessly

"Yes." I smile at him

He looks slightly surprised "Really?"

I burst out laughing "Yes."

"Good. No, that's better than good. Fantastic. Brilliant!" He grins at me.

Looking up at him in amazement, I am slightly speechless at his statement.

He leans down and gives me a kiss, long and sweet.

When he finally pulls away, his eyes are the soft, deep shade I remember and I smile up at him.

"We should get some sleep." He whispers

"I'm hungry." I whisper back and he chuckles

"I'll make you breakfast in the morning. Let's go to bed."

I nod, and he takes my hand.

He changes into his pajamas, lending me one of his shirts.

We snuggle under the covers together moments later, content tangled up in each other's grasp.


	18. Chapter 18

W _e snuggle under the covers together moments later, content tangled up in each other's grasp._

"Rose." The Doctor calls again

I open my eyes, sitting up slightly

"Morning!"

The Doctor is standing beside me with a huge smile on his face and a tray full of breakfast in his arms

"Good morning!" I smile sitting up more, crossing my legs as he puts the tray down on the bed, sitting on the other side of it, across from me.

The tray is piled with pancakes, fruit, sausages, a pitcher of orange juice, and a small vase with two roses in it.

"Thank you Doctor. You didn't have to do this you know." I chuckle slightly at him

"Well, I wanted to do something nice for you, especially after I almost lost you yesterday…but it's been a long time since I…I mean, I haven't had a…I haven't been a…" He babbles hopelessly his ears turning pink, one hand running through his hair "I mean, I read the manual again…you know to make sure I was being a proper…I mean," He licks his lips, awkwardly "But even years ago…I've never been very…" He mumbles, now very pink "Romantic." He finally finishes and I can't help myself.

I burst out laughing, and his eyes widen with distress

"Rose-!"

"Doctor, you're being wonderful. This is perfectly lovely, and I think it's very sweet."

He gives me a bashful smile.

My heart flutters in my chest, because this is a new side of the Doctor I've never seen before. The gawky, awkward boyfriend who is trying so desperately hard to please me and I absolutely adore it. A giggle escapes me, and he still looks doubtful

"For being so out of practice you're doing brilliantly." I add

"Well, I'm glad. Enjoy your breakfast." He gets up, but I call after him

"Doctor, stay and eat with me, I mean you made it!"

"Are you sure?" he pauses, about two feet from the bed

"Of course!" I laugh, and he walks around the bed to sit cross-legged facing me.

I move the tray between us.

My heart still flutters in my chest as we divide the pancakes and other food between us.

"So where and when will we be going today?"  
"Well, I've sent us towards Earth. After your scare yesterday I figure its better to hang out by your planet." He answers, vaguely, as he takes some strawberries.

I let the silence hang there for a moment.

"I was thinking New York." He blurts out, and I look up at him in frustration

"Doctor, please! Why do you keep taking us back to where we've visited with Wolfe? You can't have moved on so quickly? I know I haven't and I hope that I know you well enough to know that you haven't either!"

"I haven't." His voice is dark, hollow, having lost all of the playful affection from earlier. "But when you've lived as long as I have you learn that the faster you try to replace memories, ignoring the past, the less it hurts."

"But that's what I love about you! The way you take all of your pain and suffering and translate it into something beautiful! Do you remember when I first met you, with your big ears and your ratty leather jacket? You worshipped that darkness in you, forced past it with sarcasm and when someone was stupid enough to piss you off…." I shake my head "Do you remember how you protected me from that Dalek in America? How you sent me home from the Dalek Emperor to keep me safe? Don't you dare tell me that emotion isn't worth it, because I saw you yelling at Lumic back in Pete's world, you know how beautiful and important emotion is. So don't you dare tell me that you want to get rid of it. Wolfe was amazing and I think of her every single day to make sure that I have a fire burning in my chest to get myself back to her, and I refuse to let you extinguish yours!"

"Rose." Whispers the Doctor, his voice very gentle, as tears well up in my eyes, blurring my vision

"And I wont have you replacing her with Martha. Martha is not Wolfe and she will never be Wolfe. She's a good friend but she is not our daughter."

I place my face in my hands, muffling my tears.

The Doctor slowly tugs my hands from my face, holding them tightly  
"Rose. Rose I promise you, I would never, ever try to replace our daughter." He says, firmly "Martha is a friend, a friend who helped us out, who we wanted to take along with us."

I look away, still crying "I miss her."

"Rose." He uses open hand to gently turn my face back towards him "I promise you that I will do whatever it takes to see her again. I'll tell the Tardis to search for holes in the universes between Pete's world and ours. Do you trust me?"

"Yes." I nod, and he gently wipes my tears away

I take a deep breath "So when in New York."

"Ah." He sits back, and begins eating again, not questioning my change of subject "What do you think? 40's? 60's? How about the Roaring 20's?"

"Roaring 20's Sounds like fun!" I smile at him and he grins back,

"Yeah?" He double checks

"Yeah!"

"Hey Martha?" I call through her door "Martha can you come to the console room?"

"Yeah, I'll be out in a minute!" Martha calls

"Okay."

I walk back into the console room, waiting for the Doctor to reappear.

Running my hand along the whirring console I smile. The Tardis may not be able to speak but she is every bit a companion on the Doctor's adventures and Martha and I are.

"Hello!"

I turn to see the Doctor, and my jaw drops.

He's in a very handsome blue suit and red tie instead of his normal brown pinstripe. He grins at me, very proud of himself.

"Well?" He turns around so I can admire him from every angle-which I _gladly_ do.

"Wow." I giggle, "What prompted this?"

"Manual." He shrugs, looking down at himself, before looking up at me, almost slyly "Well, what do you think?" He wanders closer, jokingly "A little bit…foxy?"

I burst out laughing, my cheeks coloring "You remember!"

"Of course I remember!" he laughs back,

"Seriously, it does look very nice." I say, tugging him closer by his tie and adjusting his collar slightly.

Leaning in, he mutters, "You've been looking. You _like_ it…"

"Mmm aren't you just…" I whisper back, recalling when Cassandra possessed me

I lean up to kiss him.

"Uh, hi? You…you called me?" Martha calls from the other side of the console room.

Dropping off my tippy toes, I step back from the Doctor, and I can't help but grin at the flash of disappointment on his face.

"Oh. Um, Yes." I say to her, and Martha seems to realize what she just interrupted, her face falling. "We're getting close." I finish

"Oh." She nods, looking miserable "I haven't packed yet, but I'll go get ready-"

"I meant we've almost landed in New York. Roaring 20's." I smile at her, realizing that we forgot to tell her she's still travelling with us.

A grin spreads across her face "really?"

"Yeah. Doctor how long until we land?" I turn to look where he's moved to the console, petting and pushing various buttons

"Give her a moment!" he chastises teasingly

Then, with the familiar wheezing noise, we land.

Martha runs to the door, and opens it, followed by the Doctor and I. We are in front of a white stone wall, overlooking a large body of water.

"Where are we?" Martha asks

"Ah, smell that Atlantic breeze. Nice and cold. Lovely. Martha, have you met my friend?" He gestures upwards and we look up.

I laugh aloud as we see the huge Statue of Liberty.

"Is that...? Oh my God!" Martha gasps while I laugh

"That's the Statue of Liberty!"

"Gateway to the New World. "Give me you tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to break free..."" Quotes the Doctor

"That's so brilliant. I've always wanted to go to New York. I mean the real New York, not the new, new, new, new, new..." She trails off, chuckling

"Come on." The Doctor calls, marching to the edge of the island, where we now get a view of the Manhattan skyline.

"Well, there's the genuine article. So good, they named it twice. Mind you, it was New Amsterdam originally. Harder to say twice. Now wonder it didn't catch on. New Amsterdam, New Amsterdam." Babbles the Doctor

"I wonder what year it is 'cause look, the Empire State Building's not even finished yet" Martha says

"Wait a minute. The Empire State building didn't start until the 30s, but it's a work in progress. Still got a couple floors to go, from the looks of it and if I know my history, that makes the date somewhere around..." "November 1, 1930." Martha announces, and I look over to see she's holding a newspaper

"You're getting good at this" I compliment before looking over at the Doctor "Little late for the roaring 20s."

"Sorry." Shrugs the Doctor, wandering over to Martha and I

"Eighty years ago." Murmurs Martha as the Doctor takes the paper from her hands "It's funny 'cause you see all those old newsreels in black and white like it's so far away, but here we are. It's real. It's now." She laughs then between "Come on, you. Where do we go first?"

"I think our little detour just got longer." The Doctor says, pointing at an article in the paper.

""Hooverville Mystery Deepens"." I read aloud "What's Hooverville?"

"Herbert Hoover, 31st President of the USA, came to power a year ago. Up till then New York was a boom town, the Roaring Twenties, and then..." He trails off

"The Wall Street Crash, yeah? When was that, 1929?" Martha asks

"Yeah. Whole economy wiped out overnight. Thousands of people unemployed. Suddenly the huddled masses doubled in number with nowhere to go. So they ended up in Central Park."

"What? They actually live in the park? In the middle of the city?" Martha asks as we climb back in the Tardis.

"Come on, two second trip, just far enough to get to the mainland."

We rematerialize seconds later and walk out.

"Ah, central park. Come on." The Doctor grins, leading us down the footpaths.

"This is Hooverville." The Doctor whispers to us as we arrive at a collection of quickly put together shacks and tents with random fire barrels placed throughout.

"Ordinary people. Lost their jobs. Couldn't pay the rent and they lost everything. There are places like this all over America. You only come to Hooverville when there's nowhere else to go." Explains the Doctor, sadly

"You thievin' lowlife!" Screeches a voice and we look over to see two men fighting. Two other men try to break up the fight.

"You stole my Loaf!"

"I didn't touch it!" The second man yells back

An older man, steps out of his tent and tried to stop the fight.

"Cut that out!" The two men ignore the old man and keep fighting.

"Cut that out! Right now!" he pushes the two men apart.

"He stole my bread!" Pants the first man as we walk over

"That's enough!" the old man looks at the second man "Did you take it?" "I don't know what happened. He just went crazy."

The men lunge at each other again

"That's enough!"

Other residents of Hooverville have wandered over to see what's going on, crowd around.

"Now think real careful before you lie to me." The old man says, calmly

"I'm starvin', Solomon." Whines the second man.

The old man holds out his hand and the second man reaches under his coat and pulls out the bread, handing it over to the old man, Solomon. "We're all starvin'." He breaks the bread in half. "We all got families somewhere." He hands each man a half "No stealin' and no fightin'. You know the rules. Thirteen years ago I fought in the Great War. A lot of us did. And the only reason we got through was because we stuck together! No matter how bad things get, we still act like human beings. It's all we got." Everyone begins to dissipate while Martha, The Doctor and I walk over to Solomon.


	19. Chapter 19

_Everyone being to dissipate but the Doctor, Martha and I walk over to Solomon._

"I suppose that makes you the boss around here." The Doctor says

"And, uh, who might you be?" Solomon asks us

"This the Doctor, that's Martha, and I'm Rose." I quickly introduce

"A doctor." Scoffs Solomon "Well, we got, uh, stockbrokers, we got a lawyer, but you're the first doctor. Neighbourhood gets classier by the day." He warms his hands over a fire.

"How many people live here?" Martha asks

"At any one time, hundreds. No place else to go. But I will say this about Hooverville. We are a truly equal society, black, white, all the same. All starving." he laughs "So you're welcome. All of you. But tell me, Doctor, you're a man of learning, right? Explain this to me." he points to Empire State Building. "That there's going to be the tallest building in the world. How come they can do that, and we got people starving in the heart of Manhattan?"

"I don't know, Solomon." Sighs the Doctor staring up at the huge building.

"Huh." Grunts Solomon, walking over to the fire, away from us and throws coffee dregs onto the fire

"So... men are going missing. Is this true?" the Doctor asks as we walk closer. He holds up newspaper.

"It's true all right." Sighs Solomon, taking the paper and going into his tent.

"But what does missing mean? Men must come and go here all the time. It's not like anyone's keeping a register." The Doctor calls after him, waiting at the entrance of the tent

"C'mon in." Invites Solomon and we walk in, and sit down next to Solomon. We're a little tight, and I'm squeezed between Martha and the Doctor.

"This is different." Solomon continues

"In what way?" I ask

"Someone takes them. At night. We hear something. Someone calls out for help. By the time we get there, they're gone. Like they vanish into thin air." He shakes his head

"And you're sure someone's taking them?" the Doctor asks

"Doctor, when you got next to nothing, you hold on to the little you got. Your knife, blanket, you take it with you. You don't leave bread uneaten, fire still burning" Responds Solomon

"Have you been to the police?" Martha tries

"Yeah, we tried that. Another deadbeat goes missing, big deal." Huffs Solomon

"So, the question is, who's taking them and what for?" The Doctor asks, thinking aloud

A young man, sticks his head inside the tent.

"Solomon, Mr. Diagoras is here." He announces

The look on Solomon's face is nothing short of disgust as we get up and hurry walk outside to where supposedly Mr. Diagoras is talking to the men of Hooverville.

"I need men. Volunteers. I got a little work for you and you sure look like you can use the money."

"Yeah. What is the money?" yells the young man who poked his head in the tent.

"A dollar a day!" Announces Mr. Diagoras

The men grumble.

"What's the work?" Solomon questions

"A little trip down the sewers. Got a tunnel that collapsed needs clearing and fixing. Any takers?"

"A dollar a day? That's slave wage. Men don't always come back up, do they?" Solomon asks, clearly trying to advise against it

"Accidents happen." Shrugs Mr. Diagoras

"What do you mean? What sort of accidents?" Yells the Doctor

"You don't need the work? That's fine. Anybody else?"

The Doctor raises his hand

"Enough with the questions" sighs Mr. Diagoras

"Oh, n-n-no. I'm volunteering." Replies the Doctor and Martha and I stare at him

"I'll kill you for this." Hisses Martha as she raises her hand. I raise my hand and so do Solomon and the young man raise their hands as well.

"Good! All of you, follow me!" Mr. Diagoras starts down a footpath. We follow him down the streets.

The Doctor clutches my hand as we walk through hordes of people, some homeless and some pretty well off.

We stop about 100 meters from the Empire State Building, and stop at an open sewer hole

"Turn left. Go about half a mile. Follow Tunnel 273. The collapse is right ahead of you. You can't miss it." Mr. Diagoras orders, vaguely

The young man and Solomon seem to understand his order

"And when do we get our dollar?" Asks the young man

"When you come back up." Mr. Diagoras responds

"And if we don't come back up?" I ask and he glares at me

"Then I got no one to pay."

"We'll be back." Solomon says, firmly

"Let's hope so." Mutters Martha

"Come on Frank, Martha." Solomon calls, and starts down the sewer hole.

Frank, the young man, and Martha and I follow. The Doctor comes down last

The others start down the tunnel

"We just gotta stick together. It's easy to get lost. It's like a huge rabbit warren. You could hide an army down here." Frank explains to us

"So what about you, Frank? You're not from around these parts, are you?" Martha questions

"Oh, you could talk. No, no, I'm from Tennessee, born and bred." Laughs Frank

"So how come you're here?" Martha asks

"Uh, my daddy died. Mama... couldn't afford to feed us all. So, I'm the oldest, up to me to feed myself, so put on my coat, hitched up here on the railroads. There's a whole lot of runaways in camp younger than me. From all over; Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas... Solomon keeps a lookout for us. So, what about you? You're a long way from home." Frank answers and my heart aches. He's only about sixteen, maybe seventeen, no more than a couple years younger than me, yet he's out here, trying to make a living on his own.

"Yeah, Rose and I are just hitchers too." Martha laughs, and I smile

"You stick with me, you'll be all right." Frank nods and we start down the tunnel.

"So this Diagoras bloke, who is he then?" the Doctor asks Solomon, a couple minutes later

"A couple of months ago, he was just another foreman. Now it seems like he's running most of Manhattan." Sighs Solomon.

"How did he manage that, then?" The doctor asks

"These are strange times. A man can go from being King of the Hill to the lowest of the low overnight. It's just for some folks it works the other way 'round." Shrugs Solomon as we march down the darkened tunnels.

"Whoa!" The doctor yanks me backwards towards him.

There's a blob lying on the ground giving off a sick green light.

"Is it radioactive or something?" Martha asks walking forward

The Doctor sets down his torch and crouches beside it.

"It's gone off, whatever it is." Groans Martha, covering her mouth and nose at the stench.

I kneel next to the doctor, doing my best not to inhale through my nose.

The Doctor slips on his glasses and carefully picks up the slimy blob.

"And you've got to pick it up." I chastise, half exasperated and half amused

"Shine your torch through it." He orders and I do. He nods, knowingly "Composite organic matter. Martha? Medical opinion?"

"It's not human. I know that." Martha answers

Solomon and Frank look on, puzzled, and I realize that we're acting like this is normal whereas it's insane for them.

"No, it's not. And I'll tell you something else. We must be at least half a mile in and I don't see any sign of a collapse, do you? So why did Mr. Diagoras send up down here?" the Doctor asks, ominously

"So where are we now? What's above us?" I ask

"Well... we're right underneath Manhattan." The Doctor points out

"Maybe he didn't calculate it correctly." Frank offers and Solomon nods.

"Let's continue on and see if we find it." Solomon says

"Okay." I agree, and we start walking again, the Doctor toting the greenish blob

"Really, Doctor must you bring that?"

"Yes!"

I sigh, smiling but continue on.

After what seems like ages following Solomon, he finally stops, groaning

"We're way beyond half a mile. There's no collapse, nothing."

"That Diagoras bloke, was he lying?" Martha asks

"Looks like it." Nods the Doctor

"So why did he want people to come down here?

"Solomon, I think it's time you took these Rose, Martha and Frank back. I'll be much quicker on my own." The Doctor says, and from his expression he's very worried.

There's a horrid squealing echo in the tunnels.

"What the hell was that?" Demands Solomon

"Hello?" Calls Frank

"Shh!" Chorus Martha and I

"Frank." Hisses Solomon

"What if it's one of the folk gone missing? You'd be scared, half-mad down here on your own." Frank responds, desperately

"Do you think they're still alive?" I ask

"Heck, we ain't seen no bodies down here. Maybe they just got lost." Frank answers, and there's more squealing.

"I know I never heard nobody make a sound like that." Solomon scoffs The Doctor walks a little ahead of us.

"Sounds like there's more than one of 'em." Frank answers

"This way." The Doctor says, gesturing down one tunnel, away from where the squealing noises were coming

"No, that way." Solomon points his torch down another tunnel and the light catches a huddled figure on the ground.

"Doctor..." Martha calls and the Doctor walks over, looking at the figure.

"Who are you? Are you lost? Can you understand me? I've been thinkin' about folk lost…" Frank starts to walk forward but the Doctor stops him. "It's all right, Frank. Just stay back. Let me have a look." He says, as he walks toward the figure "He's got a point, though, my mate Frank. I'd hate to be stuck down here on my own." The creature squeals "We know the way out. Daylight. If you want to come with us." He squats and shines a light on the figure, but we can't see what he's looking at

"Oh, but what are you?" Gasps the Doctor, who shifts revealing a pig-faced human

"Is, uh, that some kind of carnival mask?" Solomon asks, astonished

"No, it's real." The Doctor tells us, before turning back to the pig man "I'm sorry. Now listen to me. I promise I can help."

Shadows begin to shudder on the wall, above the Doctor but he doesn't notice, still talking to the pig man "Now, who did this to you?"

"Doctor, I think you'd better get back here!" I call as more pig men have filled the opposite end of the tunnel.

"Doctor!" Martha yells

"Actually... good point." The Doctor looks up and then backs up towards the others.

"They're following you." Martha points out as the pig people pick up the pace.

"Yeah, I noticed that, thanks." He responds, sarcastically "Well then, Rose, Martha, Frank, Solomon..." He says when he reaches us

"What?" I demand

"Um, basically... run!" He grabs my hand and all four of us race down the tunnel to a cross-section where we stop in confusion.

"Where are we going?" Martha demands

"This way!" yells the Doctor and we turn right. The pig men keep chasing. The Doctor stops at the mouth of a joining tunnel. "There's a ladder!"

The Doctor climbs the ladder and uses the sonic screwdriver on the lid, climbing up.

"Rose!" He yells, extending his hand

I climb up the ladder, and he tugs me up most of the way.

Martha follows. Solomon hesitates when he sees Frank pick up a metal rod to try and hold them off.

"Frank!" Solomon yells as he climbs the ladder.

Frank waits until we're all up to run to the ladder.

The Doctor and Solomon reach down their hands.

"C'mon, Frank! C'mon!" encourages the Doctor  
"I've got ya. C'mon!" Yells Solomon

Frank grabs the Doctor and Solomon's hands as the Pig men grab him.

The pig men pull Frank out of their grasp and down into the sewer. "Frank!" yells Somolom

"No!" the Doctor yells, starting to go down after him

"No!" Solomon shoves the Doctor aside and closes the lid before one of the pig men limbs up.

"We can't go after him" Solomon says, firmly

"We gotta go back down! We can't just leave him!" The Doctor screams back, furious, but Solomon doesn't flinch

"No, I'm not losing anybody else! Those creatures were from Hell! From Hell itself! If we go after them, they'll take us all! There's nothing we can do. I'm sorry"

"All right then. Put 'em up." Orders a curly haired blonde, with a gun, who just stepped out from behind a costume rack.


	20. Chapter 20

_"All right then. Put 'em up." Orders a curly haired blonde, with a gun, who just stepped out from behind a costume rack._

I look around, realizing that we're in a costume closet

Martha puts her hands up.

"Hands in the air and no funny business." Orders the blonde as she cocks the gun

The Doctor, Solomon, and I put our hands up.

"Now tell me, you schmucks, what've you done with Laszlo?"

"Uh, who's Lazlo?" I ask, completely lost

"Laszlo's my boyfriend, or was my boyfriend until two weeks ago. No letter, no good-bye, no nothin'. And I'm not stupid." She waves the gun as she talks "I know some guys are just pigs but not my Laszlo. I mean, what kinda guy asks you to meet his mother before he vamooses?"

"It might, might just help if you put that down." The Doctor encourages, carefully, eying the gun

"Hunh?" she seems to just realize she has gun "Oh, sure." she tosses gun to a chair. "Oh, c'mon. It's not real. It's just a prop. It was either that or a spear." The woman rolls her eyes.

"Come on, I need to get ready."

She leads us down the corridors until we reach a dressing room  
"What do you think happened to Laszlo?" Martha asks

"I wish I knew. One minute he's there, the next, zip, vanished.

"Listen, ah, what's your name?" The Doctor asks

"Tallulah." Tullulah says, batting her eyelashes slightly

"Tallulah." The Doctor continues

"Three Ls and an H." She adds

"Right. Um, we can try to find Laszlo, but he's not the only one. There are people disappearing every night."

"And there are creatures. Such creatures." Solomon mutters

"Whaddaya mean "creatures"?"

"Look. Listen, just trust me. Everyone is in danger. I need to find out exactly what this is " The Doctor removes the blob from his pocket. I didn't even notice he put it in there. "because then I'll know exactly what we're fighting."

"Yech!" Tallulah says, leaning away from the blob "I got no idea what that thing is!"

"Fine. Do you have anywhere where scraps of metal, bits of things are kept?" The Doctor asks

"Yeah, the prop room. We were just in there." Tallulah answers,

"Brilliant."

The Doctor runs out of the room, leaving us to follow. Tallulah remains behind. She is whining about a show she needs to get ready for.

By the time we get there, the Doctor is scavenging for pieces of equipment.

"Come on you lot, look for anything metal, signal sending, just anything!" The Doctor orders

We all start digging through the heaping bins.

"How about this?" Solomon holds up a radio

"Perfect.' The Doctor grins, taking it "It's the capacitors I need. I'm just rigging up a crude little DNA scan for this beastie. If I can get a chromosomal reading, I'll find out where it's from."

The Doctor uses the sonic screwdriver on the radio's insides.

"How about you, Doctor? Where are you from? I've been all over. I've never heard anybody talk like you. Just exactly who are you?" Solomon asks

The Doctor takes out a piece from the radio and blows on it.

"Oh, I'm just sort of passing by." He answers vaguely

"I'm not a fool, Doctor." Solomon calmly replies

"No. Sorry." The Doctor nods and Solomon walks over to the sewer lid and looks down at it.

"I was so scared, Doctor. I let them take Frank 'cause I was just too scared. I gotta get back to Hooverville. With these creatures on the loose, we gotta protect ourselves. Ain't no one else gonna help us."

"Good luck." The Doctor offers

"I hope you find what you're looking for. For all our sakes." Solomon says before he leaves.

We continue digging through the heaps.

"Rose, ah, why don't you go talk to Tallulah, get some more information." The Doctor suggests, and I know he's trying to keep me out of danger

"Doctor." I start

"Please?" He asks, giving me his puppy eyes and I laugh

"Fine."

Walking back down the corridors, I return to Tallulah's dressing room

"Tallulah?" I call, knocking on the door

"Come in!"

I walk in. Tallulah is in costume, putting on her makeup for the performance.

"What's your name again?" She asks as I sit in a chair near her

"Rose." I answer

"Pretty name." She nods, brushing some blush on her cheeks

"Thank you. Could you tell me about Laszlo?"

"Laszlo... He's wait for me after the show, walk me home like I was a lady. He'd leave a flower for me on my dressing table. Every day, just a single rose." She says, dreamily

"Haven't you reported him missing?" I ask

"Sure. He's just a stagehand. Who cares? The management certainly don't." Sighs Tallulah

"Can't you kick up a fuss or something?" I encourage

"Okay, so then they fire me." Snorts Tallulah

"But they'd listen to you. You're one of the stars." I reply, confused

"Oh, honey, I got one stone in a back street revue and that's only because Heidi Chicane broke her ankle; which had nothin' to do with me whatever anybody says. I can't afford to make a fuss. If I don't make this month's rent, then before you know it, I'm in Hooverville." She shakes her head

"Okay, I get it." I nod

"It's the Depression, sweetie. Your heart might break, but the show goes on and if it stops, you starve. Every night I have to go out there, sing, dance, keep goin'. Hoping he's gonna come back." She breaks down in sobs, and I rush to hug her

"I'm sorry."

Tallulah pulls out of the hug and wipes her eyes.

"Hey, you're lucky, though. You got yourself a forward thinking guy with that hot potato in the sharp suit."

"Oh. Uh, he's…" I trail off, blushing

"Oh, don't you deny it! I've seen the way you two look at each other. It's obvious, and it's new isn't it? You're all nervous whenever you stare at each other."

"Yeah. Still new. For a while, I thought it was just me…" I grin, thinking of last night's confessions and this morning's breakfast

"Ya gotta live in hope. It's the only thing that's kept me going 'cause..." She lifts white rose from dressing table "look. On my dressing table every day still."

"You think it's Laszlo?" I ask,

"I don't know. If he's still around, why's he bein' all secret like he doesn't want me to see him?" She looks despairingly at me

"I don't know." I shake my head

"Hey Rose?" The Doctor pokes his head in "Sorry Tallulah, I gotta take Rose for a bit."

"It's fine! You go! Show's 'bout to start anyway. Stick around for it!"

"I'm afraid we'll be a liitle busy!" The Doctor apologizes

"Actually, I want to watch. Can I watch from off stage?" Martha asks, from where she was standing next to the Doctor

"Sure, love! Come with me!" Smiles Tallulah "Girls, its Showtime!" She shouts down the corridor

"Come on!" The Doctor grins, taking my hand and leading me up the stairs.

We walk out onto the balcony.

"Alright Rose, watch this!" he tugs me to the floor beside him and tugs his scanner and the blob out onto the floor, hooking it up to his hand-made scanner. He jumps up and sets the beam from one of the stage lights on it.

"That's it. Let's warm you up." The Doctor puts on his glasses and starts to examine it. "This is artificial." He gasps as we hear the announcer over the speakers.

"Ladies and gentlemen..."

"Genetically engineered. Whoever this is, oh, you're clever…"Mutters the Doctor

"...with Heaven and Hell!" Finishes the announcer

I stand and look to see the curtains open and we see chorus girls dressed in red sequined dresses with tails and horns. As they part, Tallulah appears in white with wings and a halo. She sashays up to the microphone and begins to sing.

"You lured me in with your cold grey eyes…your simple smile and your bewitching lies…one and one and one is three…my bad, bad angel, the Devil and me…You put the devil in me…You put the devil in me…You put the devil in me…"

I look down at the Doctor, smiling

"Tallulah is good."

"Mm." He asnwers, absentmindedly, still engrossed in his science

I look back onto the stage to see Martha cutting across it, trying to hide behind the girls. She moves to another girl, accidentally grabbing her tail, causing her to fall.

"What are you doing?" Tallulah gasps

"You're on my tail! Get off my tail!" Yells another girl

"Doctor!" I call, but he now has a stethoscope on the blob.

"Fundamental DNA type 467-989. 989…."

"You're spoilin' it!" Yells Tallulah

"But look." Martha points to the wings at something. Tallulah screams. "Hey!" Martha yells, charging in the direction she pointed as the girls scramble offstage

"Doctor!" I look back at him

"Hold on, that means planet of origin…" A look of disbelief crosses his face, and I grow worried. He looks up at me in horror "Skaro."

"Doctor-"

"Come on!" He grabs my hand and we rush off

"We've gotta get Martha!" He explains as we race down the stairs

"I know I was telling you!" I groan

"Where is she? Where's Martha?" Demands the Doctor as we burst into a corridor filled with girls including Tallulah

"I-I don't know. She ran off the stage." Tallulah shakes her head

A woman's screams echo down the corridor

Together, the Doctor and I charge towards her screams, and I can hear the sound of Talllulah's heels behind us

We burst into the prop room, but its empty

"Martha!" Yells the Doctor

"Doctor look!" I point at the sewer lid, which is crooked. He grabs his coat, and puts it on.

"Oh, where are you goin'?" Tallulah demands

"They've taken her." He answers shortly "Rose come on!"

I run to the sewer hole and start down it

"Who's taken her?" Tallulah asks as I jump to the floor, the Doctor climbing down after me

"What're y' doin'? I said, what the hell are ya doin'? Crazy guy." Tallulah shouts

The Doctor lands beside me and we turn to run down the sewer when a white heel clinks on the topmost ladder rung

"No, no, no, no, no way. You're not coming." The Doctor orders as he turns around

"Tell me what's going on." Tallulah demands as she descends the ladder

"There's nothing you can do. Go back." Orders the Doctor

"Look, whoever's taken Martha, they could've taken Laszlo, couldn't they?"

"I don't know. It's better for you to stay here." The Doctor argues

"If Rose was taken, would you let some random man tell you to just stay back? No! I hardly know you but I can tell that you would go charging down these tunnels like a bull!"

"Tallulah, you're not safe down here." I attempt

"Then that's my problem. Come on. Which way?" Tallulah walks down a tunnel to the left.

"This way." Sighs the Doctor. He goes down the tunnel in front of us, and we follow.

Its only a couple of moments before Tallulah is talking again

"When you say "They've taken her", who's they exactly? And who are you anyway? I never asked."

"Shh."Hisses the Doctor,

"Okay. Okay." Mutters Tallulah

"Shh, shh, shh."

In the weak light of the tunnel in front of them, there's a distinct shadow on the floor.

"Doctor is that…" I whisper

The shadow is approaching.

The Doctor puts his hand over Tallulah's mouth and pulls her back down the tunnel into a recess, and I run after them, in silence.

A Dalek passes by without seeing us.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no. They survived." The Doctor rages as quietly as he can, slamming his hands on the wall.

"Hey, stop that." I grab his hands, turning him towards me

"They always survive, while I lose everything." He says, brokenly at me as I cradle his hands in mine.

"That metal thing? What was it?" Tallulah asks

"It's called a Dalek. And it's not just metal, it's alive.: The Doctor responds, darkly

"You're kidding me." Laughs Tallulah

"Does it look like I'm kidding?" Hisses the Doctor, turning to look at her and she sobers up quickly

"Inside that shell is a creature born to hate, whose only thought is to destroy everything and everyone that isn't a Dalek too. It won't stop until it's killed every human being alive."

"But if it's not a human being, that kinda implies it's from outer space…" she stares at us "…Yet again, that's a "no" with the kidding. Boy... Well, what's it doin' here, in New York?"

"I don't know." The Doctor shakes his head in silence for a moment.

"Come on." He takes Tallulah and I by the arms, forcibly leading us down the sewer "Every second you're down here, you're in danger. I'm taking you back right now." We turn a corner a see a pig man.

Tallulah screams and the pig man tries to hide.


	21. Chapter 21

_"Come on." He takes Tallulah and I by the arms, forcibly leading us down the sewer "Every second you're down here, you're in danger. I'm taking you back right now." We turn a corner a see a pig man._ _Tallulah screams and the pig man tries to hide._

"Where's Martha? What have you done with her? What have you done with Martha?" Demands the Doctor, approaching the pig man

"I didn't take her." He answers softly

"Can you remember your name?"

"Don't look at me." He whimpers

"Do you know where she is?" I demand

"Stay back! Don't look at me!" Yells the pig man

"What happened to you?" the Doctor asks, gentler now

He is clearly more man than pig.

"They made me a monster."

"Who did?" Tallulah asks

"The masters."

"The Daleks. Why?" The Doctor asks him

"They needed slaves. They needed slaves to steal more people so they created us. Part animal, part human. I escaped before they got my mind, but it was still too late." He shakes his head

"Do you know what happened to Martha?" Demands the Doctor again

"They took her. It's my fault. She was following me." The pig man groans

"Were you in the theatre?" Tallulah asks

"Yes." Nods the pig man

"Why? Why were you there?"

"I never wanted you to see me like this…." The man grows and my eyes widen

"Why me? What do I gotta do with this? Were you following me? Is that why you were there?" The pig man turns to face Tallulah.

"Yes." Answers the pig man

"Who are you?" Tallulah asks

"I was lonely."

"Who are you?" Tallulah asks again

"I needed to see you."

"Who are you?" yells Tallulah

"I'm sorry." He turns away.

"No, wait." she grabs his arm "Let me look at you."

She tugs him into some light

"Laszlo?" she whispers and he nods

"My Laszlo?" He voice breaks "Oh, what have they done to you?"

"I'm sorry. So sorry." Lazlo says, tearing up.

I grab the Doctor's hand tightly, heart aching

"Laszlo, can you show me where they are?"

"They'll kill you." Warns Laszlo

"If I don't stop them, they'll kill everyone." The Doctor responds

"Then follow me." Laszlo answers, and we follow him down the corridor. After a few moments, we come to a halt

"Look." Whispers Laszlo.

Across the corridor we can see Martha and Frank. There are pig men guarding them and other prisoners, squealing nervously.

A Dalek glides into the tunnel.

"Silence. Silence." It screeches "You will form a line. Move."

The pig men push everyone into line.

"Just do what it says, everyone, okay? Just obey." Martha orders the panicking group

"The female is wise. Obey!" The Dalek screeches

A second Dalek arrives. "Report." It demands of the first

"These are strong specimens. They will help the Dalek cause."

Martha's face is awash with horror

"What is the status of the Final Experiment?" The first Dalek continues

"The Dalekanium is in place. The energy conductor is now complete." Answers the second

"Then I will extract prisoners for selection." The first Dalek agrees

A pig man brigs an older black man forward. The Dalek extends his sucker towards the man's face.

"Intelligence scan. Initiate. Reading brain waves." Announces the Dalek and I get a sick feeling in my stomach

"Doctor!" I hiss, realizing Martha is no idiot. In fact, she's brilliant.

"Low intelligence." Announces the Dalek

"You calling me stupid?" Demands the man, furious

"This one will become a pig slave." Responds the Dalek and two pig men pull him away.

"No, let go of me! I'm not becoming one of them!" screams the man as the Dalek moves to the next in line.

"Intelligence scan. Initiate." Announces the Dalek

"They're divided into two groups: high intelligence and low intelligence. The low intelligence are taken to become pig slaves like me." Lazlo explains quietly

"Well, that's not fair." Tallulah pouts

"Shh." The Doctor hisses

"You're the smartest guy I ever dated." Tallulah tells Lazlo

"Doctor! Martha's not stupid!" I whisper and he nods, turning to Lazlo

"And the others?"

"They're taken to the laboratory." Lazlo responds

"But why? What for?" I ask

"I don't know. The masters only call it the Final... Experiment." Laszlo shakes his head.

I turn back to the Daleks to see they're scanning Frank.

"Superior intelligence." Announces the Dalek, before he turns to Martha

"Intelligence scan. Initiate."

Martha stares in horror at them before it announces "Superior intelligence. These ones will become part of the Final Experiment."

"You can't just experiment on people! It's insane! It's inhumane!" shouts Martha

"We are not human. Prisoners of high intelligence will be taken to the transgenic laboratory." The Dalek announces

"Look out, they're moving!" Hisses The Doctor as he flattens himself against the wall. Laszlo takes Tallulah and heads down the tunnel. "Doctor. Doctor! Quickly!" Lazlo calls

"I'm not going. I've got an idea. You go." He turns to me "Rose go."

"What? No!" I press closer to him

"Laszlo, c'mon!" Tallulah hisses

"Can you remember the way?" He asks her

"Yeah, I think so." Nods Tallulah

"Then go. Please." Laszlo urges

"But Laszlo, you gotta come with me." Begs Tallulah

"Where would I go? Tallulah, I'm beggin you, save yourself. Just run. Just go. Go."

Tallulah leaves

"Rose I'm telling you, go." The Doctor grabs my shoulders, turning me back towards him.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Rose. You know how dangerous Daleks are. I am not letting you get hurt."

"I'm not leaving you. I know your history with the Daleks and you need me here."

"Rose…"

"Shh." I press a quick kiss to his mouth, shutting him up.

He pulls away

"Yeah, well, you can kiss me later." He teases, finally relenting, before we hide in the shadows of the corridor, because it's too late for me to leave now.

The Daleks pass by and we fall in line between Martha and Frank while Laszlo acts like one of the guards.

"Just keep walking." The Doctor hisses to us

"I'm so glad to see you." Gasps Martha

"I'm glad you're alright. I swear none of you listen to my number one rule. Don't run off!"

We march out of the sewers and into a crowded elevator.

After several minutes pf rising, we are all shoved out into a large room, full of strange equipment.

"Report." One of the two Daleks in front of us demand

"Dalek Sec is in the final stage of evolution." Responds a third Dalek and I turn to look at the Doctor in horror.

Dalek Sec. These are the same Daleks, which were there at Canary Warf. These are the same Daleks, which Wolfe sacrificed herself to kill.

I feel sick.

"Scan him. Prepare for birth." The Dalek responds

"Evolution?" Mutters the Doctor, his hand tight in mine, which I know means he understands the situation.

"What's wrong with old Charlie boy over there?" Martha nods at the Dalek

"Ask them."

"What me? Don't be daft."

"They…Rose and I have fought them before…we don't exactly want to get noticed. Ask them what's going on."

"Daleks, I demand to be told. What is this Final Experiment? Report!" Martha demands loudly

"You will bear witness." The first Dalek responds

"To what?" Martha challenges

"This is the dawn of a new age."

"What does that mean?"

"We are the only four Daleks so the species must evolve a life outside the shell. The Children of Skaro must walk again."

Dalek Sec's shell powers down.

With clouds of smoke and blue light the casing opens once to reveal some type of hybrid. My stomach drops as the clothing it's wearing is unmistakably that of Mr. Diagoras. The head is similar to a Dalek body with mouth, one eye, and tentacles. The hands are almost claw-like

"What is it?" Martha Demands

"I am a human Dalek." Answers Dalek Sec "I am your future. "These... humans will become like me."

The Doctor takes my hand and we slip behind some machinery, unnoticed. "Prepare them for hybridisation." Announces Dalek Sec

The pig slaves close in on Martha, Frank and the other prisoners.

"Leave me alone! Don't you dare!" Martha yells as the Doctor yanks a radio out of his pocket and sonics it.

"Happy Days are Here Again" begins playing painfully loudly and everyone stops

"What is that sound?" Demands Dalek Sec

"Stay here." The Doctor hisses, before he steps out, a radio in his hands. "That would be me." He grins, and sets radio down "Hello. Surprise. Boo. Et cetera."

I Smile

"Doctor." Dalek Sec announces

"The enemy of the Daleks." Panics another Dalek

"Exterminate." Agrees another

"Wait." Dalek Sec orders

"Well, then. A new form of Dalek." He walks forward "Fascinating and very clever."

"The Cult of Skaro escaped your slaughter." Boasts Dalek Sec

"How did you end up in 1930?" Asks the Doctor

"Emergency Temporal Shift" Answers Dalek Sec, less proudly

"Oh, that must have roasted up your power cells, yeah?" Scoffs the Doctor, as he strides away, looking about "Time was, four Daleks could have conquered the world but instead your skulking away, hidden in the dark, experimenting." He takes a deep breath "All of which results in you."

"I am Dalek in human form."

"What does it feel like? You can talk to me, Dalek Sec. It is Dalek Sec, isn't it? That's your name? You've got a name and a mind of your own. Tell me what you're thinking right now." The Doctor urges

"I... feel... humanity." Gasps Dalek Sec

"Good. That's good."

"I... feel... everything we wanted from mankind, which is ambition, hatred, aggression and war. Such... a genius for war." Continues Dalek Sec

"No, that's not what humanity means." The Doctor stops him

"I think it does. At heart, this species is so very... Dalek."

"All right, so what have you achieved then? With this Final Experiment, eh? Nothing! 'Cause I can show you what you're missing with this thing." He points at the radio "Simple little radio." He runs over at pats it, as it still spouts music

"What is the purpose of that device?" demands Dalek Sec

"Well, exactly. It plays music. What's the point of that? Oh, with music, you can dance to it, sing with it" He glances back at me, "Fall in love to it."

I remember back when I first learned he could dance, dancing around the Tardis with him

He focuses on the Dalek again "Unless you're a Dalek of course. Then its just noise." The Doctor aims the sonic screwdriver at the radio and a high pitch wail emanates from it. Sec holds his head in pain while the other Daleks act erratically. The Doctor turns to the prisoners

"Run!" He grabs my hand and all the prisoners and us run down the tsairs into the sewers and through the tunnels

"Come on! Move, move, move, move, move!" Encourages the Doctor

We run down a tunnel and find Tallulah.

"And you, Tallulah! Run!"

"What's happened to Laszlo?" Demands Tallulah

The pig slaves and two Daleks are following. Laszlo slips away. The Doctor leads everyone to a ladder.

"C'mon! Everyone up!"

We all climb up, one by one.

When all of us are out the Doctor slams the hole down.

"Come on. We've got to get back to Hooverville." The Doctor orders the group and we hurry back, through the dusky light.

 **Okay, so I have been terrible about posting. I am so sorry! I am a Junior, and this year's academic work is kicking my butt. I really will try to post more, but please don't think the story's over or I'm done. There is still so much to finish! (For example, we still have to figure out what's happening with Wolfe!) I love you all, and again, I am so sorry for being bad about posting. Blame it on my AP teachers. ;)**

 **Lots of Love!**


	22. Chapter 22

_"_ _Come on. We've got to get back to Hooverville." The Doctor orders the group and we hurry back, through the dusky light._

Once we're all settled in, gathered around a fire, Martha and Tallulah and I sitting on crates. The Doctor and Solomon are standing near us, talking about the Daleks

"These Daleks, they sound like the stuff of nightmares. And they wanna breed?" Solomon asks the Doctor

"They're splicing themselves into human bodies. If I'm right, they've got a farm of breeding stock right here in Hooverville. We've got to get everyone out." The Doctor explains

"Hooverville's the lowest place a man can fall. There's nowhere else to go." Solomon responds

"I'm sorry, Solomon. You've got to scatter. Go anywhere. Down to the railroads, travel across state, just get out of New York."

"There's got to be a way to reason with these things." Protests Solomon

"There's not a chance." Shudders Martha

"You ain't seen 'em, boss." Frank adds

"Daleks are bad enough at anytime, but right now they're vulnerable and that makes them more dangerous than ever." The Doctor shakes his head

A piercing whistle bites through the air.

Then a young man comes charging into the main camp "They're coming! They're coming!" He shouts

"A sentry. Must have seen something." Explains Solomon quickly

"They're here! I seen 'em! Monsters! They're monsters!" Gasps the Sentry "It's started." The Doctor says, darkly

"We're under attack! Everyone to arms!" Shouts Solomon

The men start passing out the guns and other weapons they had collected.

"I'm ready, boss, but al o' you! Find a weapon! Use anything!" Frank yells

Some of the residents start to run off.

"Come back! We gotta stick together! It's not safe out there! Come back!" Shouts Solomon, as the Doctor grabs my hand, and yanks out his sonic. I grab a chunk of wood lying next to me.

The pig slaves invade Hooverville, attacking anyone who tries to escape. "We need to get out of the park." Marth says, panting beside us as we hide from the thick of the battle

"We can't! They're on all sides. They're driving people back towards us." Explains the Doctor as Tallulah, cowering by Martha, yells

"We're trapped."

"Then we stand together. Gather 'round. Everybody come to me. You there, Jethro, Harry, Seamus, stay together." Solomon orders

The pig slaves have forced everyone, including the Doctor, Martha, Tallulah and I, into a tight circle by the fire.

"They can't take all of us. Starts firing!" Yells Solomon "If we can just hold them off till daylight."

"Oh, Rose…" The Doctor whispers and I look to him. His eyes are glued to the sky "They're just the foot soldiers."

I look up and so does everyone else

"Oh, my God." Martha gasps

A Dalek is flying above, heading towards us.

"What in this world..." gasps Solomon

"It's the devil. A devil in the sky. God save us all. It's damnation." Shrieks a man in the crowd

"Oh yeah? We'll see about that!" Frank fires at the Dalek but the bullets do no damage. The Doctor tugs me towards him and whacks Frank's rifle down

"That's not gonna work." Orders the Doctor

"There's more than one of them!" I warn as two more Daleks appear

The Daleks begin to attack, firing upon the settlement causing explosions and starting fires.

"The humans will surrender!" Shrieks one Dalek

The Doctor drops my hand as I cower with Martha and Tallulah. He runs towards a Dalek.

"Leave them alone! They've done nothing to you!" He shouts

"We have located the Doctor!" Shrieks the Dalek

Solomon steps forward and the Doctor grabs him by the arm.

"No, Solomon. Stay back."

"I'm told that I'm addressin' the Daleks, is that right?" Shouts Solomon, stepping forward despite the Doctor's warning "From what I hear, you're outcasts, too."

"Solomon, don't." Warns the Doctor again

"Doctor, this is my township, you will respect my authority. Just let me try." Solomon pushes the Doctor away. The Doctor steps back, shaking his head.

"Daleks... ain't we all the same? Underneath, ain't we all kin?" he sets rifle on the ground "'Cause, see, I've just discovered this past day God's universe is a thousand times the size I thought it was. And that scares me. Oh, yeah. Terrifies me. Right down to the bone. But it's got to give me hope... hope that maybe together we can make a better tomorrow. So I... I beg you now if you have any compassion in your hearts then you'll meet with us and stop this fight. Well... what do you say?"

There's a pause and then the Dalek screeches

"Exterminate!  
The Dalek fires upon Solomon, killing him.

"Oh, no!" I scream, as do the inhabitants of Hooverville.

Frank rushes to Solomon's side.

"No! Solomon!" Sobs Frank

"They killed him. They just shot him on the spot." Gasps Martha

I turn, looking for the Doctor, because he's got to be so mad and I have to find him, and make sure he doesn't-

"Daleks!" Roars the Doctor, moving forward, arms out to the side. I start moving towards him as fast as I can

"All right, so it's my turn! Then kill me! Kill me if it'll stop you attacking these people!" He roars, and I run faster, people running and screaming the other way, pushing me from him.

"I will be the destroyer of our greatest enemy." Screeches one Dalek

"Then do it! Do it! Just do it!" The Doctor beats on his chest. "Do it!"

"NO!" I scream racing to the Doctor

"Extermin..." Starts the Dalek

I throw myself into the Doctor as hard as I can, slamming both of us to the ground.

We freeze, waiting for the end of the word and the kill shot, his body coming to cover part of mine, and mine covering part of his.

"I do not understand. It is the Doctor." Argues the Dalek with seemingly no one

I lift my head to see the Dalek as it says "The urge to kill is too strong."

Tensing up again, I hold my breath as it looks back at us,

"I... obey." I growls

"What's going on?" I whisper to the Doctor

"Why the hell would you do that?" he whispers back at me "Rose, I need to go." He wriggles out from under me, and stands. I stand quickly after him. "Don't ever try and give your life for mine again." He hisses

I slap him in the face

"Well don't try and get yourself killed! I thought we'd talked about this." I swallow the lump in my throat

"You will follow." Orders the Dalek to the Doctor

"No! Doctor, please!" I beg, "You can't go!"

"I've got to go. The Daleks just changed their minds. Daleks never change their minds."

"But what about us?" asks Martha, and I turn to see all of hooverville watching in a stunned silence.

The Doctor looks back at the people of Hooverville before facing the Dalek.

"One condition! If I come with you, you spare the lives of everyone here! Do you hear me?" He yells

"The humans will be spared. Doctor... follow." Responds the Dalek

"I'm coming with you." I take his hand

"No, Rose." He says, so softly that I am taken aback.

"You need to stay here, help Martha care for these people." He answers "Do what you do best. People are hurt. You can help them. Let me go."

"No…" I murmur, but he cuts me off with a fierce kiss.

I gasp slightly in surprise as one of his hands slides from my lower back to my butt. Quite enjoying the kiss, I don't pull away until he does.

"Oh, and can I just say, thank you very much." The Doctor grins at me, and winks.

He turns and sprints off after the Daleks. I stare after him, and I realize something's in my back pocket

My hand slides over the pocket and I tug out the Doctor's psychic paper.

Grinning, I suppress a laugh.

"So what about us? What do we do now?" Martha asks, walking over to me

"The Doctor gave me this. He must have had a reason." I show Martha the psychic paper

"What's that for?"

"Gets you into places, buildings and things. But where? He must want me to go somewhere but what am I supposed to do?" I sigh, suddenly realizing I have no way of using it.

"Wait a minute. Down in the sewers the Daleks mentioned this... energy conductor." Martha says

"What does that mean though?" I ask, as we turn back to the people of Hooverville, who are starting to clean their homes up and help each other with their injuries, burying the dead.

"I don't know. Maybe like a... lightening conductor or... Dalekanium!" Martha shouts, excited

"They said the Dalekanium was in place!" I agree "But in place where?" "Frank might know." Martha suggests and we wlak through the crowds, looking for Frank. We find him beside Solomon's tent, grieving.

"Frank?" I ask

"Hm?" He looks up, wiping his tears away

"That Mr. Diagoras, he was like some sort of fixer, yeah? Get you jobs all over town?" Martha asks

"Yeah. He could find a profit anywhere." Frank nods

"But where, though? What sort of things?" I ask

"You name it. We're all so desperate for work, you just hoped Diagoras would pick you for something good. Building work. That pays the best." He answers

"But what sort of building work?" I ask

"Mainly building that." Frank points to the Empire State Building.

"That's it!" I gasp, turning to Martha

"The energy conductor!" She gasps,

I grasp her tightly in a hug

"We've got to get in there!" I say, when I release her

"Hold up, girls. What are we doing?" Tallulah has arrived beside us

"Because I want to come. Laszlo's still missing and I want him back."

"I'm going to help to. For Solomon." Frank says, standing.

"We're going to save the Doctor." I grin

"By breaking into the Empire State Building." Finishes Martha


	23. Chapter 23

_"We're going to save the Doctor." I grin_

 _"By breaking into the Empire State Building." Finishes Martha_

Martha, Tallulah, Frank and I are in a service lift of the Empire State Building.

"I always wanted to go to the Empire State. Never imagined it quite like this, though." Martha says as we start up

"Where are we headed anyway?" Frank asks

"To the top where they're still building." I answer

"How come those guys just let us through? How's that thing work?" Tallulah asks, nodding at the Psychic paper

"Psychic paper. Shows them whatever I want them to think. According to this, we're three engineers, and an architect." I explain

Frank takes the psychic paper and flips the empty paper over in his hands. "But I don't see anything!" He gasps, confused

"That's because I am not telling it to tell you something yet."

"Come on we're almost there." Martha warns and moments later, the doors slide open.

We're the top floor, the room that someone had been using as an office, from the looks of it.

"Look at this pace. Top of the world." Sighs Tallulah, walking towards the walls, looking out at the darkened skyline.

"Okay, now this looks good." Martha announces, and I hurry over, followed by Frank. Martha found the architectural plans.

"Hey, look at the date. These designs were issued today. They must've changed something last minute" Frank points to the top left corner

"You mean the Daleks changed something?" I correct

"Yeah, could be." Nods Frank

"The ones underneath, they're from before. That means that whatever they changed must be on this top sheet but not this one. We need to check one against the other." Martha orders, tugging the papers underneath to the side.

We look back and forth at them, trying to find the difference

"The height of this place! This is amazing!" gasps Tallulah

"Careful, we're a hundred floors up. Don't go wandering off." I warn

"I just wanna see." I watch as Tallulah walks to the open area overlooking the city. "New York City. If aliens had to come to Earth, no wonder they came here"

"There's not enough room to look at al the plans. Put the on the floor!" I order and we spread the plans out on the floor study them kneeling.

"I'll go and keep an eye out, make sure we're safe up here. Don't want nobody buttin' in." Frank walks out a side door.

"There's a hell of a storm movin' in." Adds Tallulah

"I wish the Doctor was here. He'd know what we're looking for." I groan

"So tell me, Rose, where did you and him first hook up?" Tallulah asks, and I am acutely aware of Martha tensing up

"Oh." I blush "We…we met over in London. Almost two years ago."

"That's nice. Martha, where'd you meet those two?" Tallulah asks as she kneels beside us.

"In a hospital." Smiles Martha

"That makes sense, him bein' a Doctor and all." Nods Tallulah

"Actually, I'm a doctor. Well, kind of." Martha says

"You're a physician?" Gasps Tallulah

Martha nods. "I was training. Still am, if I ever get back home."

"You two could go into work together…If only he wasn't so... different. You know what I mean?" Tallulah sighs, and I laugh

"Oh, you have no idea how different he really is." Martha responds, smiling too

"Yeah, he's a man, sweetheart. That's different enough." Tallulah giggles and we roar with laughter

"Come on!" Martha says, catching her breath "we need to find the difference!"

We all study the papers for another couple of minutes.

"Gotcha! Look!" Martha gasps pointing at the plans "There, on the mast. Those little lines? They're new. They've added something, see?" she points out

"Added what?" I mutter aloud, before it comes to me. Martha and I look at each other

"Dalekanium!" we chorus, laughing

I stop laughing when I notice the issue

"But now what do we do?" I sigh

"If only…"

The elevator dings and we whirl around to see the Doctor and Laszlo. "Doctor!" I grin,

"First floor, perfumery." He responds, smiling

"I never thought I'd see you again." Tallulah rushes over to Laszlo and he meets her halfway where they hug.

"No stopping me." Lazlo responds

I beckon the Doctor, "We worked it out. Martha was brilliant, Doctor! We know what they've done. There's Dalekanium on the mast. And it's good to see you too, by the way." I tease

"Oh, come here." The Doctor grabs me in a big hug and twirls me about, both of us grinning.

He drops me abruptly as a bell dings and the lift doors close. He runs to try and stop it.

"No, no, no. See, never waste time with a hug." He groans, using the sonic screwdriver on the panel.

"It's a deadlock seal. I can't stop it." He groans

"Where's it going?" Martha asks appearing behind me

"Right down to the Daleks. And they're not going to leave us alone up here. What's the time?" He demands

"11:15." Frank answers, from where he was standing behind the Doctor and Laszlo

"Six minutes to go. I've got to remove the Dalekanium before the gamma radiation hits."

"Gammon radiation? What the heck is that?" Demands Tallulah

"Come on!" Martha leads us outside

The Doctor looks out on the city.

"Oh, that's high. That's very... Blimey, that's high." He mutters

"And we've got to go even higher. That's the mast up there, look. There's three pieces of Dalekanium at the base. We've got to get 'em off." I explain

"That's not "we". That's just me." The Doctor responds

"We won't just stand here and watch you!" Martha responds

"No, you're gonna have your hands full, anyway. I'm sorry, Martha, Rose, but you've got to fight."

"But Doctor-" Martha starts but he silences her with a look. I know not to argue.

"We'll fight, but you be careful up there. I want you back without a scratch you hear me?" I ask him, giving him a hug.

"Yes ma'am." He whispers, pressing a kiss to my forehead, before starting to ascend the scaffolding. I watch as the Doctor climbs higher up the scaffolding, hanging on as high winds and rain blow around him, until he's out of my sight.

"Come on!" I urge the group "We need to make some weapons. Find anything sharp or heavy and join me!" I urge, grabbing a study looking pipe.

Five minutes later, we're all facing the lift, in dreadful anticipation, with our makeshift weapons

"The lift's coming up." Mutters Martha

"I shoulda brought that gun.:" groans Frank

"Tallulah, stay back. You too, Martha, Rose. If they send pig slaves, they're trained to kill" warns Laszlo

"The Doctor needs me to fight. I'm not going anywhere!" I say, firmly

"They're savages. I should know. They're trained to slit your throat with their bare teeth." Laszlo collapses to the floor.

"Laszlo? What is it?" Tallulah drips her spear of metal and rushes to his side

Laszlo struggles to stand.

"No, it's nothing. I'm fine. Just leave me." Laszlo falls back to the floor and leans against the wall. Tallulah kneels beside him and puts her hand to his forehead.

"Oh, honey, you're burnin' up. What's wrong with you? Tell me." Begs Tallula

"One man down and we ain't even started yet." Frank whispers to us

"It's not looking good, Frank." Agrees Martha

"Nope." Frank shakes his head

There's a ferocious storm outside.

"Wait a minutes. Lightening." Martha runs to the other end of the room "What?"

"Maybe we don't have to fight with Brawn! Let's fight with brains!" Grins Martha "What if we use the metal poles to make a long pal from outside to the elevator…"  
"And electrocute them!" I finally understand "Martha that's brilliant!"

We drop out weapons and start grabbing the rods, forming one long rod, which goes from outside to the lift without touching the floor. Tallulah is still with Laszlo.

"Aw, you'll be all right, sweetheart. Don't you worry." She promises before turning to us "What the hell are you two clowns doin'?"

"Even if the Doctor stops the Dalekanium, this place is still gonna get hit. Great big bolt of lightening, electricity all down this building. Connect this to the lift and they get zapped." Explains Martha as we add poles to our oversized lighting rod

"Oh my God, that could work." Gasps Tallulah

"Then give us a hand!" Frank pants

After a few more minutes, we've have finished our handiwork.

"Is that gonna work?" Tallulah asks  
"It's got to." I say

"I've got it all piped up to the scaffolding outside." Frank announces

"Come here, Frank, Lazlo, Tallulah, Rose, and sit in the middle and don't touch anything metal." Orders Martha

We crowd together in terror.

The lift arrives and the doors slide open, revealing what looks like an army of pig slaves

Suddenly light is everywhere

The lightening passes along the pipes to the lift, striking the pig slaves, and they begin to fall, dying.

Trough the chaos I can hear the sound of someone screaming and I know it's the Doctor. Unable to move without dying, I squeeze my eyes shut. Then silence.

We open our eyes, the dead pig slaves in the lift. Martha is the first to run over. Frank puts his arm over her shoulders.

"You did it, Martha." Cheers Tallulah

"They used to be like Laszlo. They were people and I killed 'em." Martha says, sadly

"No, the Daleks killed them. Long ago." Laszlo promises

"What about the Doctor?" I demand, rushing outside

I scramble up the scaffolding, ignoring how high up we are. My stomach flips as I find the sonic screwdriver on the scaffolding. I dimly realize Martha is following me.

I get up to the mast, where the Doctor is on his back in the freezing rain, unconscious.

Doctor! Doctor!" I run to him, and fall on my knees next to him "Look what we found halfway down." I tease, still terrified "You're getting careless." I gently brush my fingers through his soaked hair, plastered on his forehead, brushing it from his face.

"Doctor?" I whisper, pressing my palms to his cold cheeks.

"Oh my head." Mumbles the Doctor

"Hello." I whisper, smiling down at him

He smiles "Hello." He whispers back "You survived then."

"So did you. Just about." I smile,

I help him sit up, and he brushes my soaked hair from my face

"Um, can't help noticing...There's Dalekanium still attached." Martha calls The Doctor gets up

"The Daleks will have gone straight to a war footing. They'll be using the sewers, spreading their soldiers out underneath Manhattan." He grimaces "How do we stop them?" I ask as we hurry to the scaffolding

"There's only one chance. I got in the way. That gamma strike went zapping though me first." He explains as we climb down

"But what does that mean?" I ask

"We need to draw fire. Before they can attack New York, I need to face them. Think, think, think, think. We need some sort of space, somewhere safe, somewhere out of the way…" he mutters as we reach Tallulah and Lazlo again.

"Tallulah!" The Doctor yells

"That's me. Three L's and an H." Tallulah responds

"The theatre! It's right above them, and, what, it's gone midnight? Can you get us inside?" Demands the Doctor

"Don't see why not." Nods Tallulah

"Is there another lift?" The Doctor asks

"We came up in the service elevator." Martha offers

"That'll do. Allons-y!" Yells the Doctor and we hurry into the lift.

 **Snow day for me, and another chapter for you! Enjoy!**

 **Lots of Love!**


	24. Chapter 24

_"_ _We came up in the service elevator." Martha offers_

 _"_ _That'll do. Allons-y!" Yells the Doctor and we hurry into the lift_

We arrive at the darkened theatre.

"This should do it. Here we go." The Doctor switches on the sonic screwdriver.

"There ain't nothin' more creepy than a theatre in the dark. Listen, Doctor, I know you got a thing for showtunes, but there's a time and place, huh?" Tallulah groans, and then Laszlo falls into one of the chairs beside her.

"Laszlo, what's wrong?" She sits next to him.

"Nothing. It's just so hot." He groans

"But... it's freezing in here. Doctor, what's happening to him?" Tallulah asks

The Doctor is listening to the sonic screwdriver, checking its frequency. "Not now, Tallulah. Sorry." He apologizes

"What are you doing?" Martha asks

"If the Daleks are going to war, they'll wanna find their number one enemy. I'm just telling them where I am."

The Doctor holds up the sonic screwdriver and turns it on, before looking at us

"All of you get out of here." The Doctor orders

"Not a chance" I snort

"I'm telling you to go. Frank can take you back to Hooverville."

"And we're telling you we're not going." Martha responds

"Martha, that's an order." The Doctor groans

"Who are you, then? Some sort of Dalek?" Martha asks, offended

The doors to the theatre burst open and the human Daleks arrive, flanking them.

"Oh, my God! Well I guess that's them then, hunh?" Tallulah gasps

"Humans... with Dalek DNA." Nods Martha

Frank moves to attack them but the Doctor pulls him back.

"It's all right. Just stay calm. Don't antagonize them." He whispers

"But what about the Dalek masters? Where are they?" Laszlo asks

There is an explosion on stage and we duck behind the seats for cover. We peer over the seats, and, as the smoke clears, we see two Daleks with Dalek Sec chained and walking on all fours.

"The Doctor will stand before the Daleks."

The Doctor steps over a chair and walks forward on the backs of the rows until he reaches the front row, before I can grab him.

"You will die, Doctor. It is the beginning of a new age." Crows one Dalek

"Planet Earth will become New Skaro." Agrees the Other

"Oh, and what a world. With anything just the slightest bit different ground into the dirt. That's Dalek Sec. Don't you remember? The cleverest Dalek ever and look what you've done to him. Is that your new empire? Hmm? Is that the foundation for a whole new civilization?" Challenges the Doctor

"My Daleks... just understand this. If you choose death and destruction, then death and destruction will choose you." Groans Dalek Sec

"Incorrect. We will always survive. Now we will destroy our greatest enemy, the Doctor." The Daleks respond

"But he can help you." Argues the Doctor

"The Doctor must die." The Dalek proclaims

"No, I beg you, don't." Dalek Sec crawls in front of a Dalek

"Exterminate!" The Daleks yell, pointing at the Doctor.

I stand, knowing I'm too late, but Dalek Sec stands just as they fire. He dies instantly, taking the shots for the Doctor

"Your own leader. The only creature who might have led you out of the darkness and you destroyed him." he turns to human Daleks "Do you see what they did? Huh? You see what a Dalek really is? If I'm gonna die, let's give the new boys a shot. What do you think, eh? The Dalek-Humans. Their first blood. Go on, baptize them"

The Doctor holds his arms out to his sides, again

"Dalek-Humans, take aim."

The Dalek-Humans cock their weapons and aim them at the Doctor.

"What are you waiting for? Give the command!" yells the Doctor

"Exterminate!"

I watch in a fascinated horror as the Doctor closes his eyes and Martha ducks her head against Frank's chest. Nothing happens.

"Exterminate!"

Still nothing happens.

"Obey. Dalek-Humans will obey!"

"Not firing." I gasp "What have you done?"

"You will obey. Exterminate." Screeches the Daleks

"Why?" One of the Human Daleks asks, very plaintively

"Daleks do not question orders." The Daleks yell

"But why?" Repeats the man

"You will stop this!" Orders the Daleks

"But... why?" The man says a third time

"You must not question-"

"But you are not our master. And we... we are not Daleks."

"No, you're not, and you never will be." The Doctor says to him, before turning to the Daleks "Sorry, I got in the way of the lightening strike. Time Lord DNA got all mixed up. Just that little bit of freedom."

"If they will not obey, then they must die!" The Dalek shoots the man.

"Get down!" The Doctor orders and they all duck behind the seats and both factions fire on each other.

"Exterminate! Exterminate!" Shrieks the Dalek

The Human Hybrids fire on the Daleks, blowing them both up.

When the smoke clears, The Doctor goes over to one of the hybrids.

"It's all right. It's all right. It's all right. You did it. You're free." The Doctor smiles, gently, as Tallulah, Martha, Frank, Laszlo and I walk towards them

All the hybrids grip their heads and scream in pain.

"No!" Screams the Doctor

The human Daleks crumble to the ground.

"They can't! They can't! They can't!" The Doctor roars, and I run to him, kneeling beside the bodies of the human hybrids

"What happened? What was that?" I demand

"They killed 'em. Rather than let them live. An entire species. Genocide." Groans the Doctor

"Only two of the Daleks have been destroyed. One of the Dalek masters must still be alive." Frank points out

The Doctor stands.

"Oh, yes. In the whole universe, just one." Growls the Doctor

He takes off running towards the lab, leaving us to follow. I leave Martha and Tallulah to help Laszlo and race after the Doctor.

We enter a new room and the Dalek waits at the opposite end.

"Now what?" demands the Doctor

"You will be exterminated." Responds the Dalek

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Just think about it, Dalek... What was your name?

"Dalek Caan." Answers the Dalek

"Dalek Caan. Your entire species has been wiped out. And now the Cult of Skaro has been eradicated. Leaving only you. Right now you're facing the only man in the universe who might show you some compassion. 'Cause I've just seen one genocide. I won't cause another. Caan... let me help you. What do you say?" The Doctor asks

"Emergency Temporal Shift!" Dalek Caan disappears leaving wires hanging and a very angry Doctor who charges too late.

He screams in anger, banging his hands on the metal beams around him for a moment and I stare at him, helpless.

Martha and Tallulah enter helping to support Laszlo.

"Doctor! Doctor! He's sick." Martha calls

Laszlo is breathing heavily, wheezing. They lower him to the floor, Tallulah cradling him on her lap.

"It's okay. You're all right." Martha soothes.

I walk over to the Doctor and place my hand on his shoulder. He looks up at me, and then over my shoulder at Laszlo.

"It's his heart. It's racing like mad. I've never seen anything like it." Martha tells him and the Doctor starts over.

"What is it, Doctor? What's the matter with him? He says he can't breathe? What is it?" asks Tallulah

"It's time, sweetheart." Wheezes Laszlo

"What do you mean "time"? What are you talking about?" Tallulah demands

"None of the slaves... survive for long. Most of them only live a few weeks. I was lucky. I held on 'cause I had you. But now... I'm dyin', Tallulah."

"No you're not. Not now, after all this. Doctor, can't you do somethin'?" Begs Tallulah

"Oh, Tallulah with three Ls and an H... just you watch me." The Doctor stands and takes off his coat, and suddenly I see the broken look in his eyes clear. I grin. "What do I need? Oh, I don't know. How about a great big genetic laboratory? Oh look, I've got one. Laszlo, just you hold on." The Doctor runs about the lab, mixing up a solution, talking all the while "There's been too many deaths today. Way too many people have died. Brand new creatures and wise old men and age-old enemies. And I'm tellin' you, I'm tellin' you right now, I am not having one more death! Got that? Not one! Tallulah, out of the way." The Doctor takes a stethoscope out of his pock and puts it on. "The Doctor is in!"

By some miracle, Lazslo seems perfectly healthy just five minutes later, and after a bit of a celebration the six of us started back towards Hooverville. Frank went on ahead to ask the community if Laszlo could live with them. We're waiting just on the outskirts, in a park bench when he jogs over.

"Well I talked to 'em and I told 'em what Solomon would've said and I reckon I shamed one or two of 'em." Frank starts

"What did they say?" the Doctor asks

"They said yes." He grins and Tallulah hugs Laszlo.

"They'll give you a home, Laszlo. I mean, uh, don't imagine people ain't gonna stare. I can't promise you'll be at peace but, in the end, that is what Hooverville is for, people who ain't got nowhere else." Frank says

"Thank you. I... I can't thank you enough." Laszlo grins.

"Well, we'd better be going." The Doctor announces

"Can't stick around?" Frank asks, disappointed

"No, we've got other places to go." Martha smiles

"Thank you for everything Doctor!" Tallulah gives him a tight hug, followed by Laszlo.

We all say our goodbyes and head back to the Tardis.

Martha walks onboard first but I stop to look over at the skyline.

"Do you reckon it's gonna work, those two?" I ask him

"I don't know. Anywhere else in the universe, I might worry about them, but New York, that's what this city's good at. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, and maybe the odd pig-slave-Dalek-mutant-hybrid too."

I laugh "The pig and the showgirl."

The Doctor smiles down at me

"The pig and the showgirl."

"Just proves it, I suppose. There's someone for everyone." I grin

"Absolutely." He grins, and offers me his hand.

I take it, and we walk into the Tardis, and dematerialize.


	25. Chapter 25

_"Absolutely." He grins, and offers me his hand._

 _I take it, and we walk into the Tardis, and dematerialize._

"Alright you two." Starts the Doctor "I think its time to get some rest. We've been up for over 24 hours."

"I agree." I nod, yawning

"Those were Daleks?" Martha asks, still a little in shock I think

"Yeah." Nods the Doctor

"They were awful." She shudders

"Yes." I agree

She turns to look at me "You've seen them before?"

"Yes." I nod "They were there at the battle of Canary Warf."

"Oh." Martha's eyes grow big

"Come on, time for bed." The Doctor urges and Martha nods

I need a warm shower too, I'm all cold and wet. Goodnight." Martha yawns, heading down the corridor to her room

"Martha wait!" The Doctor calls, and she turns around

"You were brilliant today. We couldn't have done it without you!"

She grins "Thank you."

"Sleep well!" I call and she nods

"You too!"

There's a slight pause as I get up.

"I'm setting course for Earth, day after we picked her up."

"We're taking Martha home?" I ask

"Yeah, we had her two trips, plus a detour. She almost died today Rose, and I can't be responsible for her…and she's not Wolfe. We need to search for Wolfe."

"I thought you told the Tardis to search for holes in the…"

"Yes, but it might take a while." He says, softly

"I'm willing to wait forever." I say firmly "but I think we need Martha. She's smart and its fun to watch her be so excited when we get to a new place…and we would have all died had she not been there today."

"Rose. What if she wants to go home?"

I think about how horrified Martha had been when she killed the pig slaves

"Okay. Why don't we take her home and see how she reacts? We'll hang out in London. I wanted to pick stuff up from Mu- my old place anyway. If she wants to come back, she'll find us. If not." I shrug "then fine."

"I think that's a good idea." Nods the Doctor.

"Alright then. I'm going to go and shower too-" I start, but he suddenly jumps up from where he'd been sitting next to me

"Ah! No, uh, wait a moment!"

"Yes?" I ask, completely lost why he's being so excitable when I know how tired we both are.

"I prepared a surprise for you, we got back sooner than I expected, but I hope its ready…" He presses buttons on the console

"Ah! Ready." He pets the console "Good girl!"

"Do you two want to be alone for a bit, because I really want to get warm."

"No! No! I want to show you the surprise."

He grabs my hand and he leads me to his bedroom door.

"Ready?" He asks, looking extremely proud of himself

I notice that one of his hands has slid to the back of his neck, which is Doctor for 'I'm actually pretty nervous/embarrassed/awkward about whatever it is I'm doing'.

I realize that my awkward Doctor is back, and find my heart fluttering.

"Ready!" I smile, his excitement contagious.

He opens his door and I gasp

It looks completely different. It was once darker, with lots of awful patters and browns and blacks, with only his bed and a reading chair in the entire huge space. Now, it's various shades of grey and cream. His browns and blacks are still there, just more subtle, in the decorative bits around the room. There's a light grey and cream patterned carpet in the middle. The main bed has a dark colored frame, cream sheets and a dark grey duvet.

The room is so much brighter. The walls are a very pale grey. There's a couch, which is cream, and a television in front of it with a coffee table. In a little nook by a window are two cream chairs, a small table between them, for tea.

Suddenly I realize his blacks and browns aren't the only colors here.

I see the pinks and yellows from my room side by side with his.

The chairs by the coffee table make my heart speed up.

One has a pink and yellow pillow, the other is brown and plaid.

Looking around I see details I never even noticed before. My unfinished book is on one of the bedside tables, there are two closets, my purple robe is hanging on the loo door. The bookshelf is filled with my books as well as his.

"Do you like it?" He asks, nervously, and I realize I have been silent for a long time. "I-I mean, if you don't I can put it back. I probably should have asked permission before I told the Tardis to merge our rooms…I kept your stuff I promise, all of its in your closet, or the bookshelf, or something…your closet's the one closer to the loo…"

I throw myself at him in a hug, in shock that he would ever, that _we_ would ever reach a point like sharing a room.

He laughs, sounding slighting relieved as I crush him in a hug

"Doctor it's amazing." I laugh, pulling away, to look around at my new room with eagerness

"The Tardis is good at decorating." Nods the Doctor, looking around "Its better than I thought."

There's a hiss of disapproval from the Tardis and I laugh

"He didn't mean it!" I say, before I sneeze

"Bless you. You ought to get in the shower. I don't want you getting sick!" He warns, nudging me towards _our_ bathroom.

I smile at the thought.

"Okay, okay." I chuckle

"I'll make us some tea and then we can watch a movie after if you'd like?" The Doctor offers and I grin

"That sounds fantastic!" I sneeze again "Thank you"

"No problem." He kisses the top of my head and leaves the room.

I turn to go to my closet.

"Oh, and Rose?" The Doctor peeks his head back in

"Yes, Doctor?"

"You were brilliant today too."

I chuckle "thank you."

"Bye."

"Bye!" I call after him, laughing as he shuts the door.

I get my coziest pajamas and get into the hot shower, staying in there until my whole body is nice and warm. When I get out I dry off and pull on my pajamas. I open the door to the room, and grin

The Doctor is sitting on the couch, with a big fluffy blanket, two cups of steaming tea, the lights low, and the television on ready for us to watch a movie.

I hurry to him and snuggle under the blanket, in his arms.

He hands me my cup of tea, and I press my fingers to the mug, using it as warmth.

"What do you want to watch?" He asks

"I don't know." I answer back, drowsy from all of the warmth "You pick"

"How about a Disney movie?"

"Sounds good."

"Sleeping Beauty?"

"Perfect." I snuggle closer in his grasp and he turns on the movie.

I awake to the sound of someone singing softly, running his fingers through my hair, softly

"Home - is where I want to be…but I guess I'm already there…I come home…she lifted up her wings…I guess that this must be the place…I can't tell one from another…Did I find you, or you find me?...There was a time before you were born…If someone asks, this is where I'll be . . . where I'll be…" The Doctor sings softly a song I've heard many times.

It's by the Talking Heads. Mum used to sing this song to me when I was a young girl. She used to say it was about finding home in the person you love.

He shifts and moments later I am in his arms, and we're moving. He very gently tucks me into our bed.

I keep my eyes closed, partially because I'm enjoying this and partially because I'm really tired.

"Hi yo I got plenty of time…Hi yo you got light in your eyes…" He's singing impossibly soft, and I feel him lie down next to me in bed "And you're lying here beside me…I love the passing of time…Never for money…Always for love…" he presses a kiss to the back of my head.

"Cover up and say goodnight . . . say goodnight…" He finishes, and I doze off again, warm with comfort.


	26. Chapter 26

_"Cover up and say goodnight . . . say goodnight…" He finishes, and I doze off again, warm with comfort._

"There we go... perfect landing, which isn't easy in such a tight spot!" announces the Doctor as the Tardis stops.

We woke up no more than 30 minutes ago, after a lovely eleven hours of sleep. After waking Martha up, we had some breakfast and now we just landed.

"You should be used to tight spots by now. Where are we?" Martha asks

"The end of the line." He smiles

Martha rushes towards the doors.

"No place like it." I add, thinking of the Doctor's song last night

Martha looks at us, questioning if she should open the doors. We nod and she goes outside.

"Home. You took me home?" She asks, sounding slightly disappointed

"In fact, the morning after we left, so you've only been gone about 12 hours. No time at all, really." The Doctor says as we walk into her bedroom.

The Doctor and I look about her room. There are photos of her sister and brother, her Mum and Dad, from the captions neatly printed on the frames, and a bunch of her and her friends. I smile.

"But all the stuff we've done: Shakespeare, New New York, old New York?" Martha asks

"Yep, all in one night, relatively speaking. Everything should be just as it was... Books, Cds…" he picks up a shirt drying on a rack.. "laundry." Martha snatches the shirt from his fingertips.

"So, back were you were, as promised." He grins

"This is it?" Martha asks, and I feel a stab of pity for her.

I know that it isn't my decision if she gets to stay, and the Doctor clearly doesn't want her to.

"Yeah, we should probably... um..." The Doctor starts, awkwardly

Martha's phone rings and the answering machine picks up.

"Hi! I'm out! Leave a message!" Martha's voice comes through the speaker

"I'm sorry." Martha apologizes

The machine beeps before the message.

"Martha, are you there? Pick it up, will you?" A woman's shrill voice comes through

"It's Mum. It'll wait." Martha sighs

"All right then, pretend that you're out if you like. I was only calling to say that your sister's on TV. On the news of all things. Just thought you might be interested…"

Martha picks up the remote control and turns on the TV.

"The details are top secret..." A man's voice announces on the TV

"How could Tish end up on the news?" Martha wonders aloud

On the TV screen we see a man who looks to be in his late 70s, holding a press conference. A woman is standing behind him, who looks just like the photo of Martha's sister. That must be Tish.

"Tonight, I will demonstrate a device..." the old man announces

"She's got a new job. PR for some research lab." Martha's mum continues of the phone

"...with the push of a single button, I will change what it means to be human…" continues the man

Martha switches off the TV.

"Sorry. You were saying we should...?" Martha asks

"Yes, yes, we should. One trip is what we said." The Doctor nods

"Yeah. I suppose things just kind of... escalated." Martha shrugs,

"Mmm. Seems to happen to me a lot." His eyes slide to me for a fraction of the second

"Thank you. For everything." Martha smiles at us

I give her a hug, and so does the Doctor

"It was our pleasure" The Doctor smiles

We walk back into the Tardis.

The Doctor hurries to the console and we dematerialize

"Doctor." I say, looking at him

"Yes?"

"This is wrong."

"Why?" He looks at me in surprise

"Do you remember how you promised not to leave me behind? Well I'm not gonna let you leave her. It's cruel. She is worth more than that."

He looks at me in silence for a minute

"You're right." He sighs, and he turns us around. "Plus, that scientist on TV, I want to go check him out.

We rematerialize, and the Doctor runs to the door, throws it open and pokes his head out

"No, I'm sorry. Did he say he was going to change what it means to be human?"

"Uh, yeah…" Martha says, a little surprised

"He said he's going to demonstrate tonight?"

"Yes?"

"Can you get invitations to it?"

"Yeah…Mum just called she said that I needed to go tonight to support Tish…"

"Brilliant! Come on then, we're going to see this machine!"

"Really? Me too?" Martha gasps in surprise

"Of course! Now come on!" He runs back towards the console and Martha runs in, shutting the doors behind her

We dematerialize again

"Doctor, where are we going?" I ask

"The Tardis is going to the convention. Wont be long, maybe an hour. Since I know Rose likes to take her time, I made sure we'll land a few hours early to make sure that we have enough time to get ready."

"But Doctor, it's a cockatil dress affair, you know, black tie. I don't have anything to wear." Martha says,  
"Martha, just open the door to your closet and everything you need will be in there."

The Doctor is bounding about, before he grabs my hand

"Come on!" He tugs me down the corridor to our room.

When we arrive he says "its very dressy and I know you like getting dressed up-"

"You're wearing black tie."

"No I was going to wear-"  
"Not your decision." I reply firmly, and he sighs

"Fine. You can have the bathroom. Pick out your dress and then I'll change in here." He says and I nod

"Sounds good."

I go to the closet, thinking of cocktail dresses.

When I open the closet, I'm a little disappointed. Most are fluffy and girlish.

"No." I mutter shutting the door "Something classier, and elegant."

I open the door again and am much more pleased with the results.

Flipping through dress after dress my eyes fall on a scarlet A-line satin dress. It reminds me of the first dress I ever wore with the Doctor, a sleeveless style, with the sleeves becoming bands around the upper arms. The bottom of the skirt is high low and it has a simple, glittery sash. I tug it out of the closet admiring it.

After snagging a pair of matching silver heels, of course with straps in case we have to run. I head into the bathroom, shouting over my shoulder to the Doctor.

"Doctor! You need to get ready soon!"

Nearly two hours later, after a shower and hair and make up I am finally ready. Like the last time I dressed up, for that ball with Wolfe, I put my hair into a bun. My lipstick matches my dress, bright red, and a silver hairpiece matches my heels. The Tardis is very good at matching and clothing. I am wearing the earrings I got for Christmas, and Wolfe's charm bracelet. Unfortunately the necklace the Doctor got me for Christmas simply doesn't match, and I opted not to wear one.

"Rose are you almost ready?" The Doctor calls

"Coming!"

I leave the bathroom quickly

"You know, maybe when we get back you should…" he turns around, trailing off as he sees me.

I blush, especially since he's halfway through buttoning his shirt, his hair a mess, and staring unabashedly at me.

"Ah, um." He clears his throat "You are beautiful."

"Thank you." I am certain my face must be the color of my dress.

My heart skips a few beats as he continues to stare, and I have to force myself to breathe because he didn't say I _looked_ beautiful.

He said I _am_ beautiful.

The silence hangs there, and he continues to stare.

"Doctor. We're going to be late if you keep staring." I tease, walking forwards and starting to button his shirt.

I tilt his head down to adjust his hair

"You should wear a necklace." He mutters,

"I don't have one that matches."

"I do."

He pulls away and hurries to his closet, rummaging through it until he pulls out a black box, covered in intricate writing. He runs back over to me and he opens it, and pulls out the most beautiful necklace I've ever seen.

It's a simple faceted heart-like stone, bright red and glinting in every light. Framed by sparkling white stones, and attached to the delicate chain by silver Gallifreyan writing.

"Its lovely" I gasp "I shouldn't-"

"You should." He smiles "turn around."

I turn and he starts to put it on me, whispering softly in my ear

"It's a stone from Gallifrey. A close translation to English, it was called the Sun Stone. It was very rare and only found deep in our mountains. This one is the last one in existence."

"Its beautiful." I sigh, as he steps away. I gently touch the magnificent stone. "Thank you."

I turn to face him and begin fixing his suit again.

"Doctor? Rose? Its about to start!" Martha calls

"Coming!" I yell back, before looking at the Doctor "Well, I suppose you'll just have to figure this out on the way. Come on!"

I take his hand and we hurry out to Martha, who is in a lovely maroon V-neck dress.

We start out onto the street; the Doctor is fussing with the cuffs of his dress shirt.

"Oh, black tie. Whenever I wear this, something bad always happens."

"It's not the outfit, that's just you." Laughs Martha

"Plus, that didn't happen at the Ball on Barcelona!" I disagree

"Anyway, I think it suits you. In a James Bond kind of way." Martha nods and I smile

"Really?" The Doctor asks, and I remember how many times he would preen himself, muttering about James Bond.

Martha chuckles as we approach the impressive entrance to "Lazarus Laboratories"

After walking through an intense set of security, we enter the main reception room already full of mingling guests. Dominating the room is a large white round cabinet surrounded by four pillars with a slight curve at the top.

"Doctor what do you think-" I start, but he's already enthralled by the hors-d'oeuvres. I sigh as he takes some hors-d'oeuvres from a passing tray.

"Oh, look, they've got nibbles! I love nibbles!" The Doctor tosses one whole into his mouth.

I shake my head.

A very pretty young woman joins us, smiling. "Hello."

"Tish." Martha grins and the two sisters hug.

"You look great. So, what do you think? Impressive, isn't it?" Tish asks when they part

"Very." Nods Martha

"And two nights out in a row for you, that's dangerously close to a social life." Teases Tish

"If I keep this up, I'll end up in all the gossip columns." Martha jokes back

"You might, actually. Keep an eye out for photographers. And Mum, she's coming too, even dragging Leo along with her."

"Leo in black tie? That I must see." Martha gasps

Tish glances at the Doctor and I.

"This is, uh, the Doctor, and Rose." Martha introduces us

"Hello." Grins the Doctor extending his hand

Tish and the Doctor shake

"Are they with you?" Tish asks Martha as she shakes my hand

"Yeah." Nods Martha

"So, this Lazarus bloke, he's your boss?" The Doctor asks

"Professor Lazarus, yes. I'm part of his executive staff." Tish says, somewhat boastfully

"She's in the PR department." Martha explains

"I'm head of the PR department, actually." Tish huffs slightly

"You're joking." Gasps Martha

"I put this whole thing together." Tish seems to be liking holding her success over her sister's head.

"So do you know what the professor's going to be doing tonight? That looks like it might be a sonic microfield manipulator." The Doctor asks, pointing to the white cabinet

"They're science geeks. I should've known." Sighs Tish "Gotta get back to work now. I'll catch up with you later."

"Science geek? What does that mean?" The Doctor asks us

"That your obsessively enthusiastic about it." Martha answers and the Doctor grins

"Oh, nice."

"Martha!" We turn and an older woman with curly hair is standing across the room

The look on Martha's face is as if she hasn't seen the woman in years.

"Mum!" She hurries over and gives her mother a big hug.


	27. Chapter 27

_The look on Martha's face is as if she hasn't seen the woman in years._

 _"Mum!" She hurries over and gives her mother a big hug._

"Oh. All right, what's the occasion?" Martha's Mum asks

"What do you mean? I'm just pleased to see you, that's all." Martha answers, stepping back

"You saw me last night." Martha's mum responds, confused

"I know. I just... miss you. You're looking good, Leo." Martha complements the man next to her mother

"Yeah. If anyone asks me to fetch 'em a drink, I'll swing for him."

I see Martha's Mum look over Martha's shoulder where the Doctor and I are standing, watching.

"You disappeared last night." She says

"I... just went home." Martha answers

"On your own?" Mutters Martha's mother and Martha looks very uncomfortable

"This are friends of mine, the Doctor and Rose." Martha waves us over and as we do, Martha's Mum says

"Doctor what?"

"No, it's just the Doctor. We've been doing some work together."

Leo shakes the Doctor's hand.

"Yeah, all right." The Doctor shakes Martha's mum's hand and I shake Leo's

"Lovely to meet you, Mrs. Jones. Heard a lot about you."  
"Have you? What have you heard, then?" Mrs. Jones challenges the Doctor who suddenly looks very awkward

"Oh, you know, that you're Martha's mother and... um... No, actually, that's... that's about it. We haven't had much time to chat, you know, been busy."

"Busy? Doing what, exactly?" Challenges Mrs. Jones, and I step forward, ready to end the awkward implications that Mrs. Jones is creating

"I'm Rose. Martha's been helping The Doctor and I in our lab."

I take the Doctor's hand possessively and Mrs. Jones seems to get the idea

There is a tapping on glass, a signal that an announcement is about to be made.

Professor Lazarus walks onstage "Ladies and gentlemen, I am Professor Richard Lazarus and tonight I'm going to perform a miracle. It is, I believe, the most important advance since Rutherford split the atom, the biggest leap since Armstrong stood on the moon. Tonight, you will watch and wonder. Tomorrow, you'll awake to a world, which will be changed forever!"

The crowd cheers and Lazarus enters the cabinet. Two female technicians start the machinery from a bank of instruments behind the cabinet. There is a high-pitched whir and a bright blue light as the four pillars begin to spin individually. Creating an energy field. They then begin to rotate around the cabinet, going faster and faster. A warning goes off.

"Something's wrong. It's overloading." He hisses to me as the technicians tried to stop it, but some of the panels explode, sending off sparks. The Doctor jumps over the low desk and aims his sonic screwdriver at the controls.

"Somebody stop him! Get him away from those controls!" orders one woman

"If this thing goes off, it'll take the whole building with it. Is that what you want?" The Doctor pulls one of the main wires that connect to the cabinet and it slowly stops spinning. Martha and I run to the door and the Doctor runs to join her.

"Get it open!" Orders the Doctor and we open the door and watch as, through the smoke, Lazarus emerges looking 40 years younger. Photographers snap away we look on amazed. Lazarus touches his face, realizing it worked. He steps completely out and stands before his machine.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am Richard Lazarus. I am 76 years old and I am reborn!" Lazarus holds his arms up in triumph as everyone claps.

"He did it. He actually did it." One man gasps

People are taking the opportunity to have their photograph taken with Lazarus. The Doctor studies the machine.

"It can't be the same guy. It's impossible. It must be a trick." I whisper to him

"Oh, it's not a trick. I wish it were." Groans the Doctor

"What just happened, then?" Martha asks

"He just changed what it means to be human." Lady Thaw walks over to where Lazarus is speaking with some guests.  
"Excuse me. That was the most astonishing thing I've ever seen. Look at you!" One woman fawns over Lazarus

"This is only the beginning. We're not just making history; we're shaping the future, too."

"Think of the money we'll make. People will sell their souls to be transformed like that. And I'll be first in line." Lazarus cracks his neck as if experiencing pain and gasps. A waiter comes by with a tray of hors-d'oeuvres and Lazarus takes the whole thing, shoveling one after another into his mouth. Lady Thaw watches, aghast.

"Richard!' she chastises

"Doctor!" I hiss and tug him towards Lazarus

"I'm famished." Groans Lazarus

"Energy deficit. Always happens with this kind of process." The Doctor nods

"You speak as if you see this every day, Mr..." Lazarus trails of

"Doctor. And, well, no, not every day, but I have some experience in this kind of transformation." Nods the Doctor

"That's not possible." Scoffs Lazarus

"Using hypersonic sound waves to create a state of resonance. That's... that's inspired." Grins the Doctor,

"You understand the theory, then." Nods Lazarus

"Enough to know that you couldn't possibly have allowed for all the variables." Replies the Doctor

"No experiment is entirely without risk." Shrugs Lazarus

"That thing nearly exploded. You might as well have stepped into a blender!"

"You're not qualified to comment." Huffs the woman next to Lazarus

"If I hadn't stopped it, it would have exploded!" The Doctor argues

"Then I thank you, Doctor. But that's a simple engineering issue. What happened inside the capsule was exactly what was supposed to happen. No more, no less." Lazarus grins

"You've no way of knowing that until you've run proper tests." Warns Martha

"Look at me! You can see what happened. I'm all the proof you need."

He spreads his arms as if proving his point

"This device will be properly certified before we start to operate commercially." Grins the woman

"Commercially?! You are joking. That'll cause chaos!" I gasp

"Not chaos. Change. A chance for humanity to evolve, to improve." Replies Lazarus

"This isn't about improving. It's about you and your customers living a little longer." The Doctor says

"Not a little longer, Doctor. A lot longer. Perhaps indefinitely." Grins Lazarus

"Richard, we have things to discuss. Upstairs." The woman says before walking away and Lazarus moves to follow her.

"Goodbye, Doctor. In a few years, you'll look back and laugh at how wrong you were." Lazarus reaches out and takes Martha's hand, kissing the back of it, and the Doctor yanks me back before he can do the same to me.

"Good evening Lazarus." The Doctor says, tautly

Lazarus leaves

"Ooh, he's out of his depth. No idea of the damage he might have done." Groans the Doctor

"So what do we do now?" Martha asks

"Now... well, this building must be full of laboratories. I say we do our own tests."

Martha looks at her hand.

"Lucky I've just collected a DNA sample then, isn't it?"

"Oh, Martha Jones, you're a star." Grins the Doctor and we hurry off down the halls.

We find a lab not five minutes later, and after swabbing Martha's hand and putting the sample into the various equipment, we're all huddled around a computer looking at the results

"Amazing." The Doctor sighs

"What?" I ask

"Lazarus's DNA." Responds the Doctor

"I can't see anything different." Martha frowns

"Look at it!" the Doctor orders just as the image on the screen flickers. "Oh, my God! Did that just change? But it can't have!" gasps Martha

"But it did." I whisper

"It's impossible." Responds Martha

"And that's two impossible things we've seen tonight. Don't you love it when that happens?" Grins the Doctor

"That means Lazarus has changed his own molecular patterns. Hypersonic sound waves destabilized the cell structure then a mutagenic program manipulated the coding in the protein strands. Basically, he hacked into his own genes and instructed them to rejuvenate." The Doctor explains

"But they're still mutating now." Martha shakes her head

"'Cause he missed something. Something in his DNA has been activated and won't let him stabilize. Something that's trying to change him."

"Change him into what?" I ask

"I dunno but I think we need to find out." The Doctor says, suddenly grim  
"That woman said they were going upstairs…" Martha adds

"Let's go!"

We leave the lab.

"Into the lift!" The Doctor orders and we walk inside. He uses the sonic to send it to Lazarus' office.

We step out of the lift and into Lazarus's office. The Doctor turns on the lights.

"This is his office, all right." Nods Martha

"So, where is he?" The Doctor asks

"Dunno. Let's try back at the re…" I start, but sticking out from behind the desk, is a pair of skeletal bones, wearing high heels.

"Doctor!" I call, and we rush over to see the desiccated remains of the woman who was talking to Lazarus

"Is that Lady Thaw?" Martha gasps

"Used to be. Now it's just a shell. Had all the life energy drained out. Like squeezing the juice out of an orange." The Doctor responds

"Lazarus." Growls Martha

"Could be." Nods the Doctor

"So he's changed already?" I ask

"Not necessarily. You saw the DNA. It was fluctuating. The process must demand energy. This might not have been enough."

"So he might do this again?" Martha asks

"Possibly, yes."

"We need to go back downstairs. Come on!" The Doctor urges and we go back into the lift.

We arrive back at the reception.

"I can't see him." Groans Martha after a few moments of looking

"He can't be far. Keep looking." I encourage as The Doctor walks on.

"Hey, you all right, Martha? I think Mum wants to talk to you." Leo walks over

"Have you see Lazarus anywhere?" Demands Martha

"Yeah. He was getting' cosy with Tish a couple of minutes ago."

The Doctor returns to us as Martha shrieks "With Tish?"

Mrs. Jones walks over "Ah, Doctor."

"Where did they go?" Demands the Doctor

"Upstairs I think, why?" Leo answers

"Doctor..." Starts Mrs. Jones, but the Doctor rushes past, spilling Mrs. Jones' drink.

"I'm speaking to you!" Snarls Mrs. Jones, as I run after the Doctor towards the lift

"Not now, Mum!" I hear Martha say to her mother, as she follows us

We take the lift back to Lazarus' office, but its empty

"Where are they" Martha demands

The Doctor takes out the sonic screwdriver.

"Fluctuating DNA will give off an energy signature. I might be able to pick it up." He holds the sonic screwdriver out at arm's length and slowly turns in a circle. Its beeping increases.  
"Got him."

"Where?" Martha and I demand together

The Doctor ends up pointing the sonic screwdriver at the ceiling.

"But this is the top floor!" Martha says confused, before it dawns of her "The roof!"

We run for the stairs and onto the roof to see Tish and Lazarus looking out over the city together. Lazarus is speaking

"…There's always something to surprise you. "Between the idea and the reality, between the motion and the act..."

"Falls the shadow"." Finishes the Doctor, and both Lazarus and Tish turn to look at us

"So the mysterious Doctor knows his Eliot. I'm impressed." smiles Lazarus

"Martha, what are you doing here?" Snarls Tish

"Tish, get away from him." Martha warns

"What? Don't tell me what to do." Tish growls

"I wouldn't have thought you had time for poetry, Lazarus, what with you being busy defying the laws of nature and all." Shrugs the Doctor

"You're right, Doctor. One lifetime's been too short for me to do everything I'd like. How much more would I get done in two or three or four?" he asks

"Doesn't work like that." He looks at me "Some people live more in 20 years than others do in 80. It's not the time that mattes; it's the person."

I smile at him, thinking of Wolfe.

"But if it's the right person, what a gift that would be." Grins Lazarus

"Or what a curse. Look at what you've done to yourself." The Doctor responds

"Who are you to judge me?" Argues Lazarus

"Over here, Tish." Tish walks over to Martha.

"You have to spoil everything, don't you? Every time I find someone nice, you have to go and find fault."

Behind Tish, Lazarus is having another attack. I take the Doctor's hand and we back away from him

"Tish, he's a monster!" Martha yells

"I know the age thing's a bit freaky, but it works for Catherine Zeta-Jones."

At the sound of growling, Tish slowly turns her head.

Lazarus has become a monster. It looks a cross between and human skeleton and a scorpion. It rears up.

"Run!" Shouts the Doctor and we race inside.

 **Hello! Okay, just to add a note here: I know some of you are frustrated with the lack of Wolfe. I** ** _promise_** **that you will see her again, but it's a slow burn kind of a book, and I want to do it right. This one is focused on the Doctor and Rose's relationship, and so bear with me! I will try to post more chapters to speed things up a little bit. I would like to know if there is anything else you think I could do. Lots of Love!**


	28. Chapter 28

_Lazarus has become a monster. It looks a cross between and human skeleton and a scorpion. It rears up._

 _"_ _Run!" Shouts the Doctor and we race inside._

The Doctor seals the lock of the door with the sonic screwdriver. Martha presses the call button for the lift.

"Are you okay?" She asks Tish frantically

"I was gonna snog him." Tish mutters, in shock

Sirens begin to go off and a computerized warning comes over the PA.

"Security breach. Security breach."

"Doctor!" I yell, "What's happening?"

"Not sure." He appears next to me "Are you okay?"  
I nod while Tish answers "Uh, an intrusion. It triggers a security lockdown. Kills most of the power. Stops the lifts. Seals the exits."

"He must be breaking through that door. The stairs, come on!" Urges the Doctor and we run to the stairwell and down flight after flight.

There's a horrible sound of the door breaking behind us.

"He's inside!" Pants Martha

"Haven't got much time!" The Doctor answers as we finally reach the reception again

"Tish! Is there another way out of here?" Demands the Doctor

"There's an exit in the corner, but it'll be locked now." Tish shakes her head.

The Doctor tosses the sonic screwdriver to Martha.

"Martha, setting 54. Hurry." He orders and Martha rushes off followed by Tish. "Rose come on!"

The Doctor jumps on the platform in front of Lazarus's machine.

"Listen to me! Your people are in serious danger! You need to get out of here right now!" The Doctor yells to the crowd

"He's right!" I agree

"Don't be ridiculous. The biggest danger here is choking on an olive." Laughs one woman

Glass shatters and Lazarus appears on the landing above before leaping down to the reception floor.

Chaos erupts as everyone is screaming and running in all directions as Lazarus starts whacking people out of the way.

The Doctor grabs me and yanks me away from Lazarus, to behind the machine, sheltered for the most part.

"Over here! This way! Everyone downstairs now! Hurry!" I can hear Martha yelling

Lazarus closes in on the woman who wouldn't believe the Doctor and I and she just stands there.

"No! Get away from her!" The Doctor shouts, running out from our hiding spot but its too late. The woman screams and I watch in horror as she is sucked dry before her shell falls to the floor.  
Lazarus growls and looks up.

Following his gaze, I see Leo and Mrs. Jones.

"Doctor!" I yell, and point in their direction. He follows my arm and looks in horror.

"Lazarus! Leave them alone!" He shouts, distracting Lazarus.

Martha appears out of nowhere, and comes to take Francine and Leo to safety.  
"What's the point if you can't control it? The mutation's too strong. Killing those people won't help you. You're a fool, a vain old man who thought he could defy Nature. Only Nature got her own back, didn't she? You're a joke, Lazarus! A footnote in the history of failure!" The Doctor yells, distracting Lazarus, who roars in fury.

"Rose, forgive me." The Doctor begs, before he runs away from the reception hall, Lazarus following.

Both disappear down the corridor.

I get up and run to Martha

"What's the Doctor doing?" Tish asks me

"He's trying to buy us some time. Let's not waste it." I answer, while Martha who's trying to help Leo says "Leo, look at me. Let me see your eyes." She turns to her Mum "He's got concussion. You'll need to help him downstairs." Martha goes to an ice bucket and puts some ice in a napkin, which she then gives to Francine

"This'll keep the swelling down. Go! I'll be right behind you! Tish, move!" Urges Martha

"We need to get out of here!" I agree

After helping Leo up, we run downstairs and to the main doors, but they're locked

"We can't get out! We're trapped!" Everyone wails

"There must be an override switch." I say to Martha

"Where's the security desk? Tish!" Martha yells

"Right there." Tish points to a desk nearby.

We run to the desk, climbing over the top of it, looking at the panel

"What now?"

"Sonic it!" I order and she does.

The power comes back on, the doors open and everyone escapes.

We run outside, and make sure Mrs. Jones, Tish and Leo are safe.

"I've got to go back." I say, backing away

"Me too." Martha agrees

"You can't! You saw what that thing did. It'll kill you!" Shrieks Mrs. Jones "I don't care. I have to go." Martha responds

"It's that Doctor, isn't it? That's what's happened to you. That's why you've changed." Wails Mrs. Jones "He was buying us time, Martha. Time for you to get out, too."

"I'm not leaving him." I say

"Me neither." Martha agrees "Come on, Rose."

She takes my and we run back into the building, Mrs. Jones' screams behind us

"Martha! Martha!"

We start running up the stairs

"Thank god I wore heels with a strap." pants Martha

"Rule one with the doctor- always wear shoes you can run in!" I gasp back and we chuckle

After several floors we pause. "Where's the Doctor? We have no way of finding him." Martha asks

"Trust me, whether intentionally or not, he'll find a way to let us know where-"

There's a huge explosion down the hall from us

"There he is!" I grin and we run down the hall

We end up running right into him

"What are you doing here?" He demands

"I'm returning this." Martha holds out sonic screwdriver "I thought you might need it."

"And I am not leaving you behind. Bloody Idiot." I say, and the Doctor looks between us, baffled

"How did you...?"

"We heard the explosion. Guessed it was you." Martha smiles

"I blasted Lazarus." He explains

"Did you kill him?" I ask

Lazarus comes crashing down the hall.

"More sort of annoyed him, I'd say." He winces "Time to go!"

We run back down the stairs and back into the reception room

"What now? We've just gone 'round in a circle!" Martha demands

Lazarus bursts in and the Doctor heads for the machine.

"We can't lead him outside. Come on, get in." He orders

"Will we fit?" I ask

"Hopefully." Mutters the Doctor and we pile in the small chamber. First Martha, then, me, and finally the Doctor. We're pressed together like sardines.

"Are we hiding?" I hiss, unable to take a deep breath

"No, he knows we're here. But this is his masterpiece. I'm betting he won't destroy it, not even to get at us." The Doctor answers

"But we're trapped!" Martha points out

"Well, yeah, that's a slight problem." The Doctor answers

"You mean you don't have a plan?" Martha hisses

"Yes, the plan was to get inside here!"

"Then what?" I ask

"Well... then I'd come up with another plan."

"In your own time, then." Groans Martha

The Doctor, whose hands are above his head to fit all of us, it trying to reach down for something as we hear the sounds of Lazarus walking around.

He keeps trying to reach between our bodies.

"What do you need?" I whisper

"My Sonic."

"Hold still."

"Am I not?"

"Shut up."

I reach down, blind, between us, running my hands along his pants and shirt to find his pocket.

Unfortunately, it isn't going well.

"Rose." Hisses the Doctor, voice strained, "To the left!"

I blush, and move left "Sorry".

Pressing closer to him still, I slide my hand into his pocket

My fingers close around the sonic.

"Got it!" I slide it out of his pocket and slowly drag it up between up, before raising it above my head, handing it to him

"Here we are."

"Could we hurry?" Demands Martha "What're you gonna do with that?" "Improvise." Grins the Doctor, before he starts sliding downward.

I try very hard not to focus on him, looking everywhere else. Then the Doctor pops open a panel.

"I still don't understand where that thing came from. Is it alien?" Martha asks

"No, for once it's strictly human in origin."

He uses the sonic screwdriver on the wires attached to the panel. "Human? How can it be human?" I ask

"Probably from dormant genes in Lazarus's DNA. The energy field in this thing must have reactivated them. And it looks like they're becoming dominant." He explains

"So it's a throwback." Martha asks

"Some option that evolution rejected for you millions of years ago, but the potential is still there. Locked away in your genes, forgotten about until Lazarus unlocked it by mistake." The Doctor continues to work on the wires.

"It's like Pandora's box." Martha says

"Exactly. Nice shoes, by the way Rose." He says

"Eyes on your work." I order, realizing he could look up my skirt if he wanted to.

"Yes ma'am."

A blue light fills the capsule.

"Doctor, what's happening?" I ask

"Sounds like he's switched the machine on." Answers the Doctor, calmly

"That's not good, is it?" Martha asks

"Well, I was hoping it was gonna take him a little bit longer to work that out."

The machine begins to spin.

"I don't want to hurry you, but..." Martha urges

"I know, I know. Nearly done." He nods

"What're you doin'?"

"Trying to set the capsule to reflect energy rather than receive it."

"Will that kill him?" I ask

"When he transforms, he's three times his size, cellular triplication, so he's spreading himself thin."

"We're gonna end up like him!" Martha says

"Just one more!" The Doctor pulls a wire and the energy field changes, moving out from the capsule. The spinning stops and the Doctor opens the door and steps out, Martha and I right behind him.

"I thought we were gonna go through the blender then."

"Really shouldn't take that long just to reverse the polarity. I must be a bit out of practice." Shrugs the Doctor

Lazarus is lying in human form, naked, on the floor.

"Oh God. He seems so... human again. It's kind of pitiful." Martha sighs, while I politely avert my eyes

"Eliot saw that, too. "This is the way the world ends, not with a bang, but with a whimper."" The Doctor quotes with a sigh


	29. Chapter 29

_"_ _Eliot saw that, too. "This is the way the world ends, not with a bang, but with a whimper."" The Doctor quotes with a sigh_

After medical services come and take the body, we return to Martha's family.

She's here. Oh, she's all right." Trish hugs Martha.

"Ah, Mrs. Jones, we still haven't finished out chat-" The Doctor starts when Mrs. Jones slaps him on the face.

"Keep away from my daughter."

"Mum, what are you doing?" Martha demands as

The Doctor puts his hand on his cheek. "Your Mum too!" He gasps, looking at me

"He is dangerous! I've been told things." Warns Mrs. Jones

"What are you talking about?" Demands Martha and her Mum takes her by the shoulders. "Look around you! Nothing but death and destruction!" "This isn't his fault. He saved us, all of us!" I defend the Doctor

"It was Tish who invited everyone to this thing in the first place. I'd say technically, it's her fault." Leo announces and Tish elbows him in the side. There's a crash in the distance.

"Doctor what-?" I start

"Come on!" He takes my hand and we sprint towards the noise.

"Doctor wait!" We pause to see Martha running towards us

"Come on!"

We run down the street where we see the ambulance, the doors open and the medics merely husks.  
"Lazarus, back from the dead. Should've known, really." Groans the Doctor

He takes out the sonic screwdriver and searches for Lazarus like he did earlier.

"Where's he gone?" Martha asks

"That way. The church." I point

"Cathedral. It's Southwark Cathedral." The Doctor explains

We run to the cathedral, up the steps and into the building

"Do you think he's in here?" Martha asks, the dust settling in the moonlight around us

"Where would you go if you were looking for sanctuary?" the Doctor answers as we move forward through the empty cathedral to the open space behind the altar and underneath the bell tower. Lazarus is sitting there gasping, in human form, a red blanket from the ambulance wrapped about him.  
"I came here before. A lifetime ago. I thought I was going to die then. In fact, I was sure of it. I sat there, just a child... the sound of planes and bombs outside..." He shudders

"The Blitz." Whispers the Doctor, looking at me

"You've read about it." Nods Lazarus

"We were there." I answer, recalling that poor child and his mother. "You're too young." Scoffs Lazarus

"So are you." The Doctor answers and Lazarus laughs but it soon turns to gasps of pain as he fights the mutation.

"In the morning, the fires had died, and I was still alive. I swore I'd never face death like that again."

The Doctor walks around Lazarus slowly, looking up at the bell tower. I know he's planning something.

"So defenseless. I would arm myself, fight back, defeat it…" Lazarus says

"That's what you were trying to do today." The Doctor says

"That's what I did today." Growls Lazarus

"What about the other people who died?  
"They were nothing. I changed the course of history.  
"Any of them might have done, too. You think history's only made with equations? Facing death is part of being human. You can't change that." The Doctor challenges

"No, Doctor. Avoiding death. That's being human. It's our strongest impulse, to cling to life with every fiber of being. I'm doing what everyone before me has tried to do. I've simply been more... successful." Lazarus groans in pain as his body tries to change.  
"Look at yourself! You're mutating! You've no control over it! You call that a success?"

"I call it progress. I'm more now that I was. More than just an ordinary human."

"There's no such thing as an ordinary human." The Doctor answers

"He's gonna change again at any minute." I whisper to him

"I know. If I can get him up into the bell tower somehow, I've an idea that might work."

"Up there?" Martha whispers

The Doctor nods.

"You're so sentimental, Doctor. Maybe you are older than you look." Teases Lazarus

"I'm old enough to know that a longer life isn't always a better one. In the end, you just get tired. Tired of the struggle. Tired of losing everyone that matters to you…" I wince thinking of Wolfe, but the Doctor continues "Tried of watching everything turn to dust." The Doctor squats beside Lazarus "If you live long enough, Lazarus, the only certainty left is that you end up alone."

"That's a price worth paying." Lazarus answers

"Is it?"

"I will feed soon." Announces Lazarus

"I'm not gonna let that happen." The Doctor responds,  
"You've not been able to stop me so far. I would quite like a snack."

I walk around to stand behind Lazarus

"Leave him, Lazarus! He's old and bitter. Thought you had a taste for fresher meat!" I yell, and Martha walks to stand beside me

"Rose, no." Begs the Doctor, looking horrified.

"I'm not going to let him hurt you! Oi Lazarus you old hag, come and get me!"

Lazarus snarls and launches after me.

I turn and run, and Martha runs with me.

"What are you doing?" I ask as we race up the stairs of the Cathedral

"Giving you help!" She pants back

"Doctor! The tower!" I yell as we continue up the narrow spiral staircase that leads to the upper level. Lazarus follows and begins screaming.

"Did you hear that?" Martha asks

"He's changed again." I nod "We've got to lead him up."

"Rose! Rose!" Screams the Doctor

I rush to a balcony overlooking the main Cathedral

"Doctor!" I call

"Take him to the top, the very top of the bell tower, d'you hear me?"

"Up to the top!" I yell back

"Be safe!" He orders

"Rose..." I hear a hiss

Lazarus is making his way along the passage.  
"Then what?" I call back to the Doctor, quickly

"Rose come on!" Martha grabs me and we race up the next flight of stairs, Lazarus crashing behind us.

We finally reach the top of the bell tower, which is a circular walkway with wooden rails.

"There's nowhere to go! We're trapped!" Martha pants

"This is where he said to bring him." I reply, firmly  
"All right, so we're not trapped. We're bait." Groans Martha

"He knows what he's doing. We have to trust him." I say

"Ladies." Hisses Lazarus as enters, blocking the only doorway.

"Stay behind me. If he takes me, make a run for it. Head down the stairs, you should have enough time." I order Martha

"But..." Starts Martha

"Just do it, Martha!" I yell

Lazarus attacks, swinging down his tail.

Martha shrieks as we duck out of the way of his tail.

We hear the sound of a faint organ

Lazarus knocks away part of the wall.

Suddenly, the tail slams into my stomach, sending me over the wood railing and clinging to the floorboards above the chasm of the bell tower.

"Rose!" Shouts Martha

Lazarus leaps across to stand over me.

"Hold on! Get away from her!" orders Martha

Then, a horrifyingly loud sound rips through the space. Martha holds her head in agony as the sound of an organ resonate in the tight space. Lazarus topples over the edge and falls down below, and I struggle to hold on.

My fingers slip as the agony of the noise rips at my head.

Then the noise stops.

"Rose!" Screams the Doctor

I shut my eyes as I feel my last few fingers slip.

Someone grabs my hand.

"I've got you. Hold on!" Martha says and my eyes fly open.

"Rose!" Screams the Doctor again

"Give me your other hand" orders Martha and I do.

Martha pulls me back onto the walkway and we gasp in relief.

"I'm okay! We're both okay!" I cry "Thank you." I wrap Martha up in a tight hug

"It's the Doctor we should be thanking." Martha laughs

"Told you he'd think of something." I grin

"He cut it a bit fine there, didn't he?"

"He always does. It's more fun that way, you know." I grin

Martha nods "Definitely."

We walk back down the stairs to find the Doctor kneeling by Lazarus's body

"Doctor." I call, and he looks up, relief relaxing the darkness on his face.

He runs at me, scooping me up into his arms, swinging me around clutching me.

He laughs aloud, before placing me back on my feet, but not letting go.  
"Don't you ever do that again, do you hear me?" He whispers

"You know I wont keep that promise, and you could never make it to me." I whisper back

He laughs slightly, hugging me close again.

When he finally lets me go, he turns to Martha.

"Martha!" He gives her a hug "You are brilliant!"

She laughs and he releases her

"I didn't know you could play?" she teases

"Oh, well, you know, if you hang around with Beethoven, you're bound to pick a few things up." Shrugs the Doctor

"Hmm, especially about playing loud." I add

The Doctor leans forward like he didn't hear me. "Sorry?" he yells and we all laugh

We returned, using the Tardis, to Martha's flat.

"Something else that just kind of escalated, then." Shrugs the Doctor

"I can see a pattern developing. You should take more care in the future. And the past, and whatever other time period you find yourself in." Martha teases

"It's good fun, though, isn't it?" I ask

"Yeah." Nods Martha

"So, what d'you say, one more trip?" offers the Doctor

"No. Sorry." Martha steps back, shaking her head and my face falls

"What do you mean? I thought you liked it." The Doctor asks, hurt

"I do, but I can't go on like this. "One more trip." It's not fair." Martha shakes her head

"What're you talking about?" I ask

"I don't want to be just a passenger anymore. Someone you take along for a treat. If that's how you still see me, well, I'd rather stay here." She replies

"Okay, then. If that's what you want." The Doctor agrees, nodding

"Right. But we've already said good-bye once today so it's really best if you just go." Martha walks away from the Tardis, and us keeping her back to it.

The Doctor and I look at each other in confusion.

Martha looks over her shoulder.

"What is it?" She demands

"What? I said okay." The Doctor says

"Sorry?"

"Okay." The Doctor repeats, nodding at the Tardis

"Oh, thank you! Thank you!" Martha hugs us and laughs.

"Well, you were never really just a passenger, were you? Always helping out, and making sense of things. You're part of the team, now!"

We hurry into the Tardis and dematerialize


	30. Chapter 30

_"_ _Well, you were never really just a passenger, were you? Always helping out, and making sense of things. You're part of the team, now!"_

 _We hurry into the Tardis and dematerialize_

The next day, the three of us wait expectantly in the console room. We have no idea where we're going, much to our excitement.

The Doctor is using the sonic screwdriver on Martha's phone, while she stands nearby, watching.

"There we go! Universal Roaming. Never have to worry about a signal again!" He throws the phone back to Martha, who catches it one-handed. The Doctor begins to press buttons on the console.

"No way! But it's... too mad! You're telling me I can call anyone, anywhere in Space and Time on my mobile?" She Gasps

"Long as you know the area code." Nods the Doctor "Fliers' privilege. Ask Rose."

"Really?" She asks

I nod "Go on. Try it!"

Martha begins to dial.

Suddenly the Tardis jolts, throwing us to the floor. The monitor is now flashing red.

"Distress signal! Locking on!" He yells and with his foot, he activates a switch on the console,

We start to stand up again  
"Might be a bit of..." The Doctor begins

Another violent jolt sends us flying again.

I tumble down the steps leading to the console, wincing in pain.

Then, all is still.

"…Turbulence. Sorry!" He calls, before catching sight of me

"Rose are you okay?" He bounds down to help me up

"Yes, fine." I rub the back of my head "I'll have a bit of a bump."

"Are you sure? We could get the Tardis to check-"

"Doctor I'm fine."

"Okay."

Martha stands, looking a bit annoyed

Come on! Let's take a look!" I urge and run to the door.

I open the door, closely followed by Martha and the Doctor

It appears the Tardis has landed in what looks to be an engine room, which is glowing red from extreme heat.

"Whoa! Now that is hot!" The Doctor gasps

"Whoa!" Gasps Martha

"It's like a sauna in here!" I agree

I take my jacket off.

"Venting systems. Working at full pelt. Trying to cool down..."The Doctor inspects

"Uh, where-ever it is we are. Well! If you can't stand the heat..." He walks towards a heavy-duty door, opens it, and walks through. Above the door is a sign, saying "Area 30" "Well, that's better..."

We follow him.

Three people, two men and a woman come running towards us from the opposite direction. They all look very hot.

"Oi! You two!" One of the men yells

"Get out of there!" Orders the woman

"Seal that door! Now!" The first man orders again

The Doctor looks stunned and confused.

The two men quickly seal the door,  
"Who are you? What are you doing on my ship?" Demands the Woman

"Are you police?" Growls the Man

"Why would we be police?" Martha asks

"We got your distress signal." The Doctor says

"If this is a ship, why can't I hear any engines?" I question

"It went dead four minutes ago." Growls the woman

"So maybe we should stop chatting and get to engineering. Captain." The second man says, speaking for the first time

"Secure closure active." Yell sa computer generated voice

The woman looks behind her at a loud clang

"What?"

"The ship's gone mad." Groans the second man

Another a woman, is running down the corridor, this time with doors slamming shut just behind her

"Who activated secure closure? I nearly got locked in to area 27!" She yells, as the door slams shut behind her. She looks at us

"Who are you?" The Doctor goes to answer, but Martha cuts him off.

She sounds distracted.

"He's the Doctor that's Rose and I'm Martha. Hello." She begins to walk forward. It looks like she has been possessed.

"Impact projection: 42 minutes."

Martha is heading for a small window, which appears to have golden light shining in.

"We'll get out of this. I promise." Announces the first man

"Doctor..." Martha says, shakily, still looking possessed

"Forty-two minutes 'til what?" I ask

"Doctor! Look!" Shrieks Martha, pressed against the window

The Doctor and I run over and look out of the window with her. There's a burning sun, too close to the ship for comfort. It appears that the ship is hurtling towards it.

"Forty-two minutes until we crash into the sun." A man answers my question.

The Doctor runs away from the window, over to the first woman we met, and grabs her arm. He sounds panicky

"How many crew members on board?"

"Seven, including us." answers the Woman

"We transport cargo across the galaxy. Everything's automated. We just keep the ship..."

The Doctor runs back towards the door where we came from

"Call the others, I'll get you out! He goes to open the door." The crew members rush to stop him.

"What's he doing?" Demands the second man

"No! Don't!" Shouts the first woman, but it is too late. The Doctor has opened the door. The pure force of heat knocks the Doctor backwards and off his feet. He yells as he falls.

I rush to his side, as one of the crewmembers shuts the door, dressed in breathing apparatus.

I breathe a sigh of relief, as the Doctor is fine. The others crowd round the Doctor as he shouts "But my ship's in there!"

"In the vent chamber?" asks the first man

The crewmember who shut the door takes their breathing apparatus off and she reads off of the gauges.

"It's our lifeboat!" Cries the Doctor

"It's lava." Answers the second woman

"The temperature's going mad in there! Up 3000 degrees in ten seconds, and still rising!" Adds the woman reading the gauge

"Channeling the air. The closer we get to the sun, the hotter that room's gonna get." Adds the first man

"We're stuck here." Martha says, with contempt

I look at her in surprise. Usually she isn't so harsh

"So?" The Doctor asks her, hopping up. "We fix the engines, we steer the ship away from the Sun! Simple! Engineering down here, is it?" He begins running down a corridor. The Doctor, followed by Martha, me and the rest of the crew run down a set of stairs. The Doctor stops suddenly, bemused.

"Blimey! Do you always leave things in such a mess?" He asks, and we run in to see what looks like a completely wrecked engine

"Oh my god!" gasps one woman

"What the hell happened?" Demands a man

Wires, springs and casing are all over the place, all steaming. They all walk round the piece of machinery, surveying the damage.

"Oh, it's wrecked." Groans the second woman

"Pretty efficiently too. Someone knew what they were doing." The Doctor wanders over to a computer terminal, attached to the wreckage. "Where's Korwin? Has anyone heard from him or Ashton?" Asks the first woman, who I am starting to understand is the Captain

"No." responds the first man

"You mean someone did this on purpose?" Demands Martha, who still sounds strange.

The supposedly captain runs over to an intercom system.  
"Korwin? Ashton? Where are you?" There's no response "Korwin, can you answer?" there's still no answer. The woman leaves the intercom. "Where the hell is he? He should be up here!" The Doctor has been scanning some of the computers.

Behind him, the crew are rushing about, trying to find Korwin, and trying to repair the ship.

"Doctor where are we?" I ask, walking towards him

"One moment…." He pulls out his glasses and grins at me, before facing the computer again. A moment later he says "Oh! We're in the Torajji system! Lovely!" The screen readout shows a system of planets, circling a huge sun "You're a long way from home, Martha, Rose. Half a universe away!"

"Yeah. Feels it." Martha mutters sarcastically

"And, you're still using energy scoops for fusion? Hasn't that been outlawed yet?" The Doctor asks the captain. The crew look at each other, guiltily.

"We're due to upgrade next docking." She walks away from the Doctor "Scannell, engine report." The second man, Scannell, walks over to the computer terminal the Doctor was at before. He scans, with everyone looking anxiously over his shoulder. The machine beeps several times.

"No response." He runs over to the wrecked engine.

"What?" Demands the captain

Scannell is examining pieces of wire protruding from the wreck

"They're burnt out. The controls are wrecked. I can't get them back online"

"Oh come on! Auxiliary engines! Every craft's got auxiliaries!" the Doctor encourages

"We don't have access from here. The auxiliary controls are in the front of the ship." Answers the captain

"Yeah, with 29 password sealed doors between us and them. You'll never get there in time." Scannell agrees

"Can't you override the doors?" I ask

"No. Sealed closure means what it says. They're all dead-lock sealed." Answers Scannell  
"So a sonic screwdriver's no use..." groans the Doctor

"Nothing's any use. We've got no engines, no time, and no chance." Sighs Scannell

"Oh listen to you! Defeated before you've even started! Where's your Dunkirk spirit?" Demands the Doctor before turning to the captain "Who's got the door passwords?"

"They're randomly generated. Reckon I know most of 'em. Sorry. Riley Vashti." The second man introduces himself

"Then what're you waiting for Riley Vashti, get on it." Orders the Doctor

"Well, it's a two-person job" He goes and fetches what looks to be a huge magnetic clamp, and a huge backpack "One, it takes to answer the questions, and the other to carry this." he puts the kit on his back "The oldest and cheapest security system around, eh captain?" Jokes Riley

"Reliable and simple, just like you, eh Riley?" Responds the Captain

"Try and be helpful, get abuse. Nice!" Jokes Riley

"I'll help you. Make myself useful." I say, stepping forward and taking some of the equipment in Riley's hands

"It's remotely controlled by computer panel. That's why it needs two." Riley turns, and head away from the group. I start to follow.

"Oi." The Doctor grabs my hand, turning me around to face him; he smiles "Be careful."

I press a quick kiss to his lips "You too."

Turning back, I follows Riley away.

We make it to the engine room and start setting up for their attempt at opening the doors, as the Captain, Martha and the Doctor run past. "Impact in 34.31." announces the computer


	31. Chapter 31

_We make it to the engine room and start setting up for their attempt at opening the doors, as the Captain, Martha and the Doctor run past._

 _"_ _Impact in 34.31." announces the computer_

We make it to the first locked door. Riley is typing something on a keypad. He turns to me, where I'm standing by the locked door, holding all the equipment

"Hurry up, will you?" I order

"Alright." He finishes typing. "Fix the clamp on!"

I lift the clamp, and attach it firmly to the door, and hold it there. I turn to see Riley typing more.

"What are you typing?"

"Each door's trip code is the answer to a random question set by the crew. Nine tours back, we got drunk, thought 'em up. Reckoning was if we're hijacked, we're the only ones who know all the answers." Explains Riley

"So you type in the right answer..." I start

"This, sends an unlock pulse to the clamp. But we only get one chance per door. Get it wrong, the whole system freezes."

"Better not get it wrong then." I joke

"OK." Riley shifts over to a readout screen, where the first question is appearing. As it does so, he reads it out "Date of SS Pentallian's first flight? That's alright!" He types in the answer to the question, and yells to me "Go!" I press the "trigger" on the clamp, it beeps a few times, the lights on the top of the clamp turn green, and the door opens.

"Yes!" I cheer

"Only twenty-eight more to go!" agrees Riley and we run to the next door.

"Rose, Riley? How're you doing?" The Doctor asks through the intercom system

"Area twenty-nine, at the door to twenty-eight!" I answer

"You've gotta move faster!" He orders

"We're doing our best!" I snort

"Find the next number in the sequence: 313, 331, 367... What?" Riley reads the security question aloud

"You said the crew knew all the answers." I challenge

"The crew's changed since we set the questions." Admits Riley

"You're joking..." I groan

"379!" Orders the Doctor through the intercom

"What?" I demand

"It's a sequence of happy primes. 379." He explains

"Happy what?" I ask

"Just enter it!" orders the Doctor

"Are you sure? We only get one chance!" Riley asks

"Any number which reduces to one when you take the sum of the square of its digits and you continue iterating until it yields one is a happy number. Any number that doesn't, isn't. A happy prime is a number which is both happy and prime, now type it in!" He is clearly slightly annoyed now, and speaking at his trademark 100mph

Riley types in the answer the Doctor has given him. The lights on the clamp turn green, and the door opens.

"We're through!" I sigh with relief

"Keep moving. Fast as you can." Orders the Doctor, before he softly warns "and, Rose, be careful. There may be something else on board this ship."

"Any time you wanna unnerve me, feel free!" I tease, trying to keep myself from worrying over the Doctor's comment

"Will do, thanks." He laughs

"I can't believe our lives depend on some stupid pub quiz!" I say

"Oh, this is a nightmare!" Groans Riley and I frown "Classical music." He starts "Who had the most pre-download number ones, Elvis Presley or The Beatles?" He pronounces both wrong "How're we supposed to know that?"

"I have no idea." I shake my head. "I thought it was the Beatles…"

"Why don't we ask the Doctor?" Suggests Riley

"Doctor?" I call into the intercom

"What is it now?"

"Who had the most number ones, Elvis, or the Beatles. That's pre-download."

"Elvis. No! The Beatles! No! Wait! Um... um... Argh! What was that remix? Um... I don't know! I am a bit busy!" He responds, angrily.

"Fine. I'll ask someone else!" I frown "Martha!" I call and she answers

"Yes?"

"Who had more number ones? Elvis or the Beatles?"

"Oh, hold on." She says "I'll call my Mum."  
"Did she say her Mum?" Whispers Riley to me and I nod

"Mum? It's me, it's Martha. Wow!" We hear Martha on the other end of the intercom. After a moment, Martha says "Actually, bit busy. Need you to do something for me."

"Mum! Please not now! I need you to look something up on the internet!"

There's another pause "Oh just do it will you!" Orders Martha on the phone and I laugh, quietly. Her Mum must be throwing a fit. I know mine would be.

"I need to know who had more number ones; the Beatles or Elvis?" Martha asks

"Yeah, a pub quiz." Martha says "Have you found it?"

"Impact in 28.50." Announces the computer

"Martha hurry!" I order

"I'm trying!"

There's a long pause

"What?" Shouts Martha "Really?"

"Martha!"

"Elvis! Elvis! It's Elvis! Oh- Something's going on up here. I've got to go-"

The intercom cuts off

"Martha? Wait! Where's the Doctor!" I yell but there's no answer

We unlock the door, and move on.

Riley starts tapping on the computer when a chilling scream echoes through the intercom and we stop in our tracks.

"Doctor, what were those screams?" I demand into the ship wide comm system

"Concentrate on those doors! You've gotta keep moving forward!" orders the Doctor, panting

"Impact in 27.06.' the computer announces

We have now made it to the door to area 17. We manage to open the door, burst through it, and run for the next one. I head straight to the door and holds the clamp up to it.

"Doctor, we're through to area 17." I announce as we start the password

"Keep going. you've got to get to area one and reboot those engines." Orders the Doctor

Riley is having trouble getting the latest computer terminal to work.

"Come on!" He yells before turning to me "Everything on this ship is so cheap!"

We both hear a loud bang, and whirl around in the direction it came from

"Who's there?" Roars Riley

The banging continues.

"Come on." He urges and we go to investigate. There's a doorway billowing with smoke and through the smoke, we can make out a figure. "Who is that?" I whisper, scared

"Wait a minute..." The figure comes forward, and he is wearing a space helmet. Thankfully, Riley recognises him "Oh, Ashton, what're you doing?" He sighs with relief

"Burn with me." He growls and I take a step back.

"Well, if you wanna help..." Starts Riley

"Burn with me! Burn with me!" He shouts and I realize something is very wrong here.

I slam my hand on a button, opening a nearby door. Ashton's hand moves up, to remove the eye shield.

"Move!" I yell, and squeeze through the opening door, followed by Riley "Come on!" I urge

We enter a small room, and he punches the keypad that closes the door. The door begins to slide shut. I wait with bated breath until the door slides shut.

Then the helmet appears in the porthole, and he begins to pound on the door. Riley presses another combination on the keypad that opens a hatch next to us. We climb inside, and shut the door.

"What is happening on this ship?" demands Riley

"Never mind that. Where are we?"

Before Riley can answer, the computer's voice makes an announcement.

"Airlock sealed. Jettison escape pod.  
"That doesn't mean us?" I check, fearful, and Riley looks horrified. He lunges for the internal keypad. I rush to the port hole

"Doctor!" I scream

"Pod jettison initiated." The Computer yells

Riley is frantically typing on the keypad inside the pod.

"Jettison initiated" The Computer continues

I look around frantically, eyes falling on the comm unit.

"Doctor! We're stuck in an escape pod off the area seventeen airlock. Please Doctor! One of the crew's trying to jettison us! You've gotta help us!"

There's no answer so I turn to Riley

"Tell me you can stop it." I beg

"Hold on!" He mutters

"Jettison held." Announces the Computer, and we both breathe a sigh of relief.  
"Jettison reactivated." The computer announces

"No!" Yells Riley, starting to battle it again "Come on..."

"Doctor! Doctor!" I scream, banging on the porthole window

Ashton is now entering something else into his keypad. It is becoming a race of who can type the fastest.

"Geovinsci sequence!" Shouts Riley "This'll get him."

Moments later the computer announces "Jettison held. Escape pod stabilised."

We gasp with relief again

"You're pretty good." I compliment Riley

Suddenly a series of sirens sound

"Jettison activated" Announces the computer

"He's smashed the circuit. I can't stop it." Murmurs Riley and my stomach twists, then he looks at me in a complete panic "I can't stop it!" As we prepare for jettison, I look through the porthole and catch sight of the Doctor

"Doctor!" I yell, but he is facing Ashton. He goes in and out of view until he disappears.

"Airlock sealed." Announces the computer

"The Doctor will save us." I promise Riley

"How do you know? We're trapped in here."

"Because." I grin "He's the type of man who would never, not for a moment, give up on anyone, no matter the timing or circumstances. If he loves me, he's coming."

Riley nods

"Do you have anyone special?" I ask

He smiles briefly, but says nothing.

"No girlfriend? Boyfriend?"

"The job doesn't lend itself to stable relationships."

"Fair point." I laugh

"Airlock decompression completed."

We start moving backwards, all laughter forgotten and I rush to the porthole.

The Doctor skids over to the airlock door and I see him start to move further and further away

"Doctor!" I yell, whacking the glass

"I'll save you!" The Doctor mouths

"Rose, it's too late." Sighs Riley

"Doctor!" I continue to yell, whacking the window

"I'll save you!" Mouths the Doctor, again and again as the pod disengages, and he gets smaller and smaller. The pod slowly moves out into space, and towards the sun.

Riley and I look out the window as we fall towards the sun

"The wonderful world of space travel. The prettier it looks, the more likely it is to kill you." Laughs Riley ruefully

"He'll come for us." I say, firmly

"Nah, it's too late. Out heat shields will pack in any minute, then we go into free fall. We'll fall into the sun way before he has a chance to do anything." Sighs Riley

"You don't know the Doctor. I believe in him."

"Then you're lucky. I've never found anyone worth believing in." he sighs

"You said you had no significant other. Family then?" I ask

"My dad's dead. And I haven't seen my mum in... six years. She didn't want me to sign up for cargo tours. Things were said, and since then... all silent. She wanted to hold on to me, I know that. She's so stubborn!" he groans

I choke up as I think of my family "Yeah, well, that's family." I sigh

"What about you?" he asks

"Mum and Dad…no siblings…and a daughter." Tears start to slide down my face.

"You've got a kid?" he asks, shocked "What're you doing all the way out here when your kid's at home?"

I choke back a sob "She….She…" I break down sobbing, realizing that for the first time ever the Doctor can't save me and that I'll never see Wolfe again and I'm going to die.

"Shh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry." He gives me a hug.

Suddenly we're knocked backwards by an invisible force

"Remagnitising!" Yells the computer

"We're being pulled back!" Riley gasps, excited

"I told you!" I laugh hysterically "It's the Doctor!"

As soon as we dock we scramble out of the escape pod and to the Doctor, who's in an orange space suit.

"Doctor! Doctor!" I yell, before realizing something is very wrong he seems to be writhing in pain

"Are you okay?"

I help him sit up and he opens his eyes. I stumble backwards because instead of his beautiful brown eyes his eyes are burning with a golden light.

"Stay away from me!" Orders the Doctor as he closes his eyes again, and continues to writhe with pain.

I back away, terrified


	32. Chapter 32

_"_ _Stay away from me!" Orders the Doctor as he closes his eyes again, and continues to writhe with pain._

 _I back away, terrified_

"What's happened?" Demands the captain, appearing behind us

"It's your fault, Captain McDonnell!" Yells the Doctor

"Riley! Get down to area 10 and help Scannell with the doors. Go!" orders the captain and Riley does as she says.

"You mined that sun! Stripped its surface for cheap fuel! You should have scanned for life!" Continues the Doctor

"I don't understand." The Captain responds

"Doctor, what are you talking about?" Martha asks, from where she'd come with the captain.

"That sun is alive! A living organism! They scooped out its heart, used it for fuel, and now it's screaming!"

"What do you mean? How can a sun be alive? Why's he saying that?" Panics the captain

"Because it's living in me." The Doctor says and the captain looks on in horror "Oh my god..." She gasps

"Humans! You grab whatever's nearest and bleed it dry!" The Doctor screams in agony and tears pour down my face

"You should have scanned!" he continues before screaming again,

"It takes too long! We'd be caught! Fusion scoops are illegal." Defends the captain

"You've got to freeze me, quickly!" He orders, panting.

"What?" I demand

"Stasis chamber! You gotta keep me... below minus 200. Freeze it out of me!" He screams again. I look up at Martha who is looking at the captain in disgust. Rather than anguish, the Doctor now sounds and looks scared

"It'll use me to kill you if you don't! The closer we get to the sun, the stronger it gets! Med-centre! Quickly! Quickly!" He orders

"Help me!" I yell, trying to pick him up. Martha rushes over, followed by the captain. We half carry, half drag the Doctor towards the med-centre. Martha runs forward to the stasis chamber, and grabs the instruction manual.

"I can't do it!" Martha mutters

"Yes you, can Martha you're a doctor and you can do this." I encourage her

"Rose, where are you?" The Doctor wails and I rush to his side.

"It's alright! I'm here!" I soothe, hurrying back to him "It's me! Here I am! Stasis chamber, minus 200, yeah?" The captain and I lift the Doctor onto the stasis chamber bed.

"No, you don't know how this equipment works! You'll kill him! Nobody can survive those temperatures!"

"He's not human! If he says he can survive, then he can." I answer her

"Let me help you then!" the captain offers Martha

"You've done enough damage." Snarls Martha, to my pride, before she goes back to working out how the chamber works.

"Ten seconds. That's all I'll be able to take. No more!" the Doctor warns before he screams. "Rose!" he roars

"Yeah?" I ask as he retches

"It's burning me up. I can't control it. If you don't get rid of it…I could kill you. I could kill you all. I'm scared! I'm so scared!" He sounds like a scared child and I fight back my tears

"Just... stay calm. You saved me, now I return the favor. Just... just believe in Martha and I." I urge  
"It's bloody killing me! Then what'll happen?" He roars, "I promised you we'd find our daughter what if I die?" He panics

"That's enough! I've got you!" Soothes Martha as she works

"Tell Martha….There's this process. This... this thing... that happens... if I'm about to die…." The Doctor starts, and my blood runs cold.

Regeneration.

"Shhh... quiet now. Cause that is not gonna happen. You ready?" I ask him

"No!" he cries,

Martha looks at me in terror and I nod, giving consent.

Looking upset, Martha pushes the lever that slides the Doctor back into the stasis chamber. She types in "200", and presses the button to start the process. Inside, the Doctor screams continuously.

The stasis chamber hits minus 70 degrees, but then shuts off. The Doctor is still whimpering in the background.

Inside the stasis chamber, the Doctor is covered in ice crystals.  
"No! Martha you can't stop it! Not yet!" Roars the Doctor

"What's happened?" I demand  
"Power's been cut in engineering." The captain says grimly

"But who's down there?" Martha asks

"Leave it to me." We watch as the captain runs from the room.

The Doctor lets out another round of screams.

"Come on, try and get it working again!" I urge

"Rose…" Groans the Doctor

"Come on! You're defrosting." Mutters Martha

"Yes Doctor!" I call

"I'm so sorry." He wails "Martha! Rose! Listen! I've only got a moment. You've gotta go!" He orders

"No way!" Martha answers

"Get to the front! Vent the engines! Sun particles in the fuel! Get rid of them!" He orders

"I am not leaving you!" I say, firmly

"You've got to! Give back what they took!" He groans "Please! Go!"

"Martha stay with him. I'm going." I order

"I'll be back for you," I whisper to the Doctor, before running out of the room

"Rose!" I hear the Doctor's agony through the comms

"Doctor! What are you doing?" I demand

"I can't fight it. Give it back or...Burn with me. Burn with me, Rose!"

"Martha run!" I order before taking off myself

Finally I reach Area 1

Riley and Scannell are inside

"Vent the engines. Dump the fuel!" I order

'What?" Scannell asks

"Sun particles in the fuel. Get rid of them." I repeat, "Do it. Now!"

The boys spring into action. They head to two practically identical walls, and begin turning dials, which in turn release the fuel.

"Come on Doctor, hold on." I whisper to myself

Once all the dials have been turned, one of the boys twists the 'fuel dispersal' dial, which causes the ship to lurch. However, the readout shows that the fuel is successfully leaking out of the bottom of the ship. As more and more fuel is released, the lurching gets more and more violent, until I am thrown onto the floor.

"There! How're we gonna fly?" Demands Scannell

"Impact averted. Impact averted." Announces the computer

Riley is breathing heavily, on the floor, having been thrown about. I pull myself into a sitting position. Scannell pops up to his feet.

We're clear! We've got just enough reserves." Gasps Riley

We cheer, and embrace each other before I grow scared.

"Doctor..."

I turn and run. I find him in the hallway outside the med bay.

Tears start pouring down my face.

"Doctor!" I call and he turns to face me

"Rose." He whispers, and I run to him blinded by my tears

We slam into each other, and he lifts me clean off the ground, weak as he is.

I gasp, still sobbing, "I thought I'd lost you…" I murmur

"I know, I'm so sorry." He strokes my hair, and sets me back down on my feet.

Tugging his head down, I give him a passionate kiss.

"Come on you two, lets go find your ship!" Laughs Riley as he appears on the end of the corridor, Martha beside him.

"Compact, Eh? And another good word, robust! Barely a scorch mark on her." The Doctor grins proudly as he pats the Tardis

"We can't just leave them drifting with no fuel." Fights Martha

"We've sent out an official mayday. The authorities will pick us up soon enough." Riley responds, "We'll be fine."

"Though how we explain what happened..." Scannell shakes his head as the Doctor opens the Tardis door.

"Just tell them. That sun needs care and protection, just like any other living thing." Answers the Doctor

"Come on." I grin, and the Doctor and I step into the Tardis followed by Martha.

She walks up the ramp to the center console, beaming.

"So! Didn't really need you in the end, did we?" Teases Martha, but neither the Doctor nor I are in a very good mood. She quickly picks up on that "Sorry. How're you doing?" She asks

The Doctor meets my gaze for a second before plastering on his fake smile

"Now! What do you say? Ice skating on the mineral lakes of Cuhlhan. Fancy it?"

Martha looks disappointed "Whatever you like." She answers, dully

She looks so heartbroken, and really, she did save the Doctor's life. I take the Tardis key from around my neck, and show it to the Doctor. He nods, and pulls a matching one from his coat pocket.

"By the way, you'll be needing this." he holds it out to her

"Really?" Martha looks between the Doctor and I

"Frequent Flier's Privilege." I answer as he slowly feeds it into her hand, and looks at her properly.

"Thank you." He says, firmly

"Don't mention it." Smiles Martha, weakly, before she gasps "Oh no! Mum!"

The Doctor takes my hand and me walk back to our room as she dials.

We walk into the room in somber silence.

I don't even have enough energy to yell at him.

"Thank you Doctor." I whisper to him "For saving me."

"Thank you." He responds I nod, and let the silence hang there.

"Doctor, talk to me." I whisper, holding him close. "Please."

Very gently his hands slide up to my temples

"Close your eyes." He whispers

I oblige and suddenly I am in his mind again.

It's a raging mess from the last time I saw it. Usually, it looks something like the Tardis console, with the various corridors and doorways. Some doors are locked, while others are not. Now it looks like the Tardis has been nearly blown to bits

"This way." He whispers, and I take his hand, my mental projection following his down a series of corridors until we stop at a door.

"Open it." He orders and I do

I am overcome with horrible images, thousands, upon thousands of faces in their final moments, before dying. I recognize a few, and realize this is a montage of all the lives the Doctor could not save. Tears spring into my eyes.

"Doctor, stop." I whisper, and he turns me around and leads me from the door, and out of his mind again.

"I showed you that so you could understand. I don't save lives, I ruin them. Always." He murmurs

"Doctor, I thought I had told you that you've made my life better than I could have ever dreamed."

"Rose-"

"Listen to me. I love you more than anyone else in the entire universe, except maybe Wolfe. I love you, and I know that just because you can't save everyone doesn't mean you're a bad being. It means that you at least try. I told Mickey a long time ago, back on the day where you regenerated, what you taught me. You don't just give up. You don't just let things happen. You make a stand. You say "no." You have the guts to do what's right when everyone else just runs away. That's who you are. That's who I love."

"You are perfect Rose Tyler." He whispers "Out there, on the battlefield, in public, where the universe is at stake, I save you. But in here, where it's quiet, private, where nothing but my sanity is at sake, you save me."

"A perfect team."

"A perfect team." He echoes

I feel his lips upon mine, my eyes still shut. I slide my arms around his neck, moving with a sure, deep passion.

He mimics me, and very gently I step forward. He stumbles backwards slightly and swings me around in effort to keep his balance.

I continue to tug him.

"Rose." He whispers pulling away.

My eyes flutter open

"Don't." I pull him back to me again, hands sliding from his neck to his temple to show him exactly what I want.

"Are you sure?" He whispers  
"Yes. Are you?"

"Yes."

I pull him against me and this time he doesn't hold back, in a tangle of limbs, we collapse onto our bed, his body pressing mine into the soft mattress, as he carefully begins to undress me.


	33. Chapter 33

_I pull him against me and this time he doesn't hold back, in a tangle of limbs, we collapse onto our bed, his body pressing mine into the soft mattress, as he carefully begins to undress me._

I awake to a kiss. Pressed at the base of my neck, right in the middle.

"Rose." The Doctor whispers softly.

"Morning." I whisper back, rolling over to face him. "Hello." I giggle, girlishly, slight disbelief flooding me.

"Hello." He answers, smiling. Gently he reaches up and tucks a stray bit of hair behind my ear. "I have an idea about where to go today."

"Oh?"

"Do you want to go on a date?" He offers, turning pink slightly, all of the passion of last night giving way to awkward once more "That's what humans usually do right? Go on a-"

"Date. Yes." I chuckle "I'd love to. But what about Martha?"

"Oh…we can drop her off somewhere, tell her to explore. We'll only be gone a few hours."

"Mmm, sounds lovely." I murmur, "What should I wear?"

"Surprise me." He teases

I giggle in response.

"Come on, we better get up. We've been in here a while."

"Mmm." I sigh "What venue shall I dress for?"

"Classy, but maybe a little bit…" He presses a kiss to my neck before whispering "Sexy?"

Giggling madly, I teasingly shove him away, rolling over.

"Alright then Doctor." I respond, my heart thudding in my throat. This is the Doctor that I met last night, and it's a side of him I never dreamed I'd meet.

I climb out of bed, and start tugging on my bra and underwear.

Looking over, I see him staring "Stop it you, you've got to get yourself dressed."

"Sorry." He responds, unapologetically, bouncing up. "I'll go tell Martha."

"Great. Don't come in the bathroom, I want you to be surprised."

"Alright!" He grins, before tossing on his undershirt, pants, and trousers before bounding out of the room.

I go to the closet and open it, the first dress I lay eyes on is perfect.

It's a velvety black fitted maxi dress, with a slit going up more than half one side of the dress, and a deep V neck. Most of the back is showing, and only two spaghetti straps, which cross over the back, support the whole thing. I pair it with strappy four-inch black heels.

Hurrying into the bathroom, I curl my hair, leaving it bouncing around my shoulders before applying dark eye shadow, which really brings out the lighter parts of my eyes. Finally, I pull on the dress and heels, making sure to wear the necklace the Doctor gave me, with the red jewel in it.

I wait in the bathroom for him to enter the room again, giddy with excitement.

"Rose?" He calls, and I stand  
"Yes?"  
"I want you to meet me at the address I left on the note on the tea table. Got to take Martha to the hospital here where I promised her a look at her first alien surgery. Should take her a while. Okay?"

"Sounds brilliant!" I call back, and I hear the sound of our bedroom door closing

Walking into our room, I find a white sheet of paper, with the Doctor's scrawl on it.

I grab a black wristlet and hurry out the Tardis doors to find we're definitely on an alien planet.

The sky is a lovely shade of orange and the town we're in is hustling and bustling. I hail a cab and he takes me to the restaurant, which is the nicest place I have ever been.

Just as I am about to get out of the cab, I see the Doctor, dressed in a proper black suit, to my surprise, hurry in, a bouquet of red roses in his arms. I smile, giving him a moment to get seated, before I get out of the cab and walk into the restaurant.

He is studying the menu when I walk in and when he looks up his jaw drops.

"Hello." I blush, walking towards him.

"You are beautiful." He grins as he stands and pulls out my chair for me.

"Thank you." I smile and sit down. The table has a crisp white tablecloth and the bouquet of roses on it. The lighting is low and the candle flickering on the table adds a very calm feel to the atmosphere. "This is lovely." I smile, looking around.  
"Yeah, it is, isn't it?" He answers, sitting down across from me "Nicest restaurant in this part of the universe."

"I expected nothing less." I tease, opening the menu

"Hello, my name is Peter." Announces a voice and we look up to see a droid dressed as a waiter "How may I serve you today?"

"Hello Peter!" I respond

"We would like a bottle of the finest champagne, preferably imported from Earth?"

"Coming right up, sir." The droid turns away

"Doctor!" I giggle "I thought you said you weren't romantic. This is quite romantic."

"Oh." He grins, rubbing the back of his neck "I guess so. I just thought you would like it."

"I do." I laugh, and he smiles

"Good. So, what do humans usually do on dates?"

"Doctor I'm sure you know that." I answer

"I do. I want to know what you want to do."

"Let's order something and then we'll see."

"Your champagne?"

Peter pours a bit for the Doctor to taste.

"Oh, that's lovely." He sighs, "More of that please. The whole bottle."

"Doctor!" I gasp in surprise

"Yes sir." Peter responds and he pours the rest of a glass for the Doctor and a glass for me.

The taste is silky and heavenly. Its not too sweet, but has the gentlest of citrus overtones. The final swallow is creamy and amazing, fizzing in my nose.

"Oh my." I gasp, looking back up at the Doctor.

He grins "Like it?"

"Yes!" I take another sip.

"Brilliant."

"Thank you Doctor, this is lovely." I smile

"What would you like to eat?"

"We'll start with a pair of the house salads." The Doctor answers, before looking at me "Trust me, they're amazing."

"I'll take your word for it." I answer, as Peter speeds away

The Doctor looks around the room for a moment before looking back at me

"I went back to the Tardis, and made sure you left before I decided to take her back to Earth, grab you some roses.

"You went back to Earth for roses?" I burst out laughing

"Of course!" He defends "and the Earth wasn't more than two minutes away. I had to re park the Tardis in order to get here on time. Met the strangest girl." He shakes his head

"Oh?"

"She gave me this." He tugs a purple folder from his jacket "And told me that I would get stuck in 1969, and that I would need it. Her name was Sally Sparrow."

"How interesting. Usually, Doctor, we don't talk about other women on dates." I tease

"Oh. Right. Yes, sorry." He nods, tucking the folder away and I laugh

"How did you manage to go and come back so quickly? It couldn't have been five minutes between the Tardis and here, and you arrived before I did."

"Do you remember back when you turned me down the first time I asked you to travel with me?" He asks

"Yeah. Bloody idiot I was, almost ruined everything!" I laugh

He smiles "It wasn't just a moment for me. It was months."

I look at him in surprise "What?"

"I returned for you because already then you made me better and I loved you for it. You saved me not only from the Nestene consciousness, but from myself. I realized that I didn't want to leave you behind so I came back."

"I'm so, so glad you did" I take his hand over the table and he grins at me

His eyes find something over my shoulder and his grin falls.

"Doctor?" I ask, going to look, but his hand tightens on mine

"Rose. Don't look." He orders and I freeze.

"Doctor?" I ask, worried "What is it."

"I'm so sorry Rose." He mutters, "Come on." He leaps up, still clutching my hand and we run from the restaurant.

"Doctor?" I pant as we run

"Come on we've got to get Martha."

We race into the hospital and tug her out of surgery, racing back to the Tardis.

The Doctor slams his hands down on several buttons before we take off, the Tardis throwing us to the floor. The console is sparking crazily as we pick ourselves up. The Doctor dashes to me, grabs my hand and pulls me up, eye to eye.

"Did they see you?" He asks

"I don't know! I was too busy running!"

"Did they see you?" The Doctor asks Martha

"Who?" Martha answers

"Rose, it's important... Did they see your face?" he turns back to me

"No, they couldn't have!"

The Doctor runs round the console and starts playing with controls.

"Off we go!"

We come to stand next to him as he watches the time rotor intently. As a warning beep cuts in, we see symbols on the console screen.

"Ahhh!" Groans the Doctor as he grabs the console screen and reads it "They're following us." he goes back to the controls

"How can whoever they are do that, you've got a time machine?" I ask

"Stolen technology, they've got a Time Agent's vortex manipulator. They can follow us wherever we go, right across the universe..." He pauses "they're never going to stop." He runs a hand through his hair nervously and stares, then an idea comes to him "Unless... I'll have to do it..." He turns and stares at me intently

"Rose, you trust me don't you?"

"With my life." I answer, firmly

"And you, Martha?"

"Of course I do."

"Cause it all depends on you two." The Doctor dives below the console to retrieve something, Martha and I watching on in confusion.

"What am I supposed to do?" I ask as The Doctor reappears holding an ornate pocket watch aloft.

"Take this watch, 'cause my life depends on it. The watch, Rose, the watch is...its a way of changing myself, holding onto my soul to protect us…Its hard to explain…" He trails off before shouting, "Look out!"

A fountain of sparks to erupt from the console.

He tugs us close to him again "This watch is me."

I take it from him, confused and he runs around the console.

"Right, okay, gotcha... No, hold on! Completely lost!" Martha responds

"Those creatures are hunters, they can sniff out anyone- and me being a Time Lord; well, I'm unique. They can track me down across the whole of time and space."

"And the good news is?" I ask

"They can smell me, they haven't seen me. And their life's bound to be running out, so, we hide, wait for them to die." He answers

"But they can track us down." I protest

He stops and looks at me, giving me the most heartbreaking look I've ever seen.

"That's why I've got to do it. I have to stop being a Time Lord. I'm gonna become human."

"What?" I demand as the Doctor pulls out a golden headset of sorts

"Never thought I'd use this. All the times I've wondered."

"What does it do?" asks Martha

"Chameleon Arch. Re-write my biology. Literally changes every single cell in my body. I've set it to human." He grabs the watch and fits it into the headset. "Now, the Tardis will take care of everything. Invent a life story for me, find me a setting and integrate me. Can't do the same for you two... you'll just have to improvise. I should have just enough residual awareness to let you in." He explains

"But... hold on, if you're going to rewrite every single cell, isn't it going to hurt?" I ask, terrified

"Oh yeah. It hurts." He grabs me "I'm sorry." He whispers before giving me a kiss. He turns, grabs the Chameleon arch and attaches it to his head.

Immediately it powers on and he starts screaming in pain.

I press my hands to my mouth, horrified.

He collapses on the floor a moment later.

I rip the helmet off and pull him into my lap.

"Martha, med bay's second door on your left, go get a stethoscope."

She's too horrified to move

"Now!" I order

She turns and runs while I wipe the sweat from the Doctor's face

When she returns, I listen to his chest.

One heartbeat.

"He's human. He did it." I gasp, before looking up at the Tardis console

"I need you to tell me exactly who he is going to be and where we are going. We need to protect him." I order the Tardis, and she beeps, and from a small slit in the console comes paper, as if from a printer.

Martha grabs it and reads it aloud

"John Smith, Schoolteacher. We'll land at a boarding school where he teaches. We'll tell the other teachers he's ill or something…oh." She pauses, before looking up at me "You're his wife. Rose Smith."

"Pardon?" I double check

"You're his wife. Oh, and its 1914, so you might want to change your dress. It says you're the school nurse."

I nod, gently laying the Doctor's head on the floor and standing. "Please help me carry him to our room. I'll change him. You ought to get changed too."

"Meet here in five?"

I nod, terrified of what we will go through with the Doctor as a human.


	34. Chapter 34

_"Meet here in five?"_

 _I nod, terrified of what we will go through with the Doctor as a human._

The Doctor sits up in bed next to me, waking me up.

"John?" I mutter, taking a moment to remember his name.

Even after three months it's difficult not to call him "Doctor"

He blinks in confusion a few times

"Fine, love, just a interesting dream." He answers, pressing a kiss to the side of my head, before he pushes himself to sit up, feet on the floor.

"Oh?" I ask as he rubs his eyes, and we hear a knock.

"Come in." Calls the Doctor as I get out of bed.

Martha enters, wearing her awful maid's uniform and carrying a tray of breakfast. The only job we could find for her in this day and age was maid. Martha took it in stride and I am very grateful.

As Martha sees the Doctor and I barely out of bed, her eyes widen and she turns her back.

"Pardon me, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, you're not dressed yet. I can come back later." She goes to leave as the Doctor and I pull our dressing gowns on.

"No, it's alright, it's alright. Put it down." Urges the Doctor.

Martha walks to a table in the middle of the room and sets the tray down, keeping her eyes lowered.

"So you were telling me about your dream, John?" I ask

"I was, um... Sorry, sorry. Sometimes I have these extraordinary dreams." He turns to me

Martha crosses to the window and pulls the curtains open.

"What about?" I ask

"I dream I'm this..." he searches for the right term "Adventurer. This... daredevil, a madman. "The Doctor", I'm called. And last night I dreamt that you were there, as my... companion." He mutters to me, before turning to Martha.

"You were there too. My companions."

Martha crosses back to the tray on the table. The Doctor's eyes have been following her across the room.

"That's impossible." She responds,

"Ah no, a man from another world, though..." He trails off, eyes looking out the window

"Well it can't be true because there's no such thing." I take his hand, and he smiles briefly at me, before walking over to the mantle above the fireplace. He picks up the watch, which is laying on it.

"This thing... The watch..." He murmurs

We watch him, hopeful, but after holding it for a second he replaces it on the mantle with a sigh.

"Ah, it's funny how dreams slip away." He turns back to us "But I do remember one thing, it all took place in the future. In the year of Our Lord two thousand and seven."

"I can prove that wrong for you sir, here's the morning paper." Martha hands it to him. "It's Monday, November tenth, nineteen thirteen, and you're completely human, sir."

"As human as they come." I kiss his cheek.

"Mmm, that's me; completely human." He smiles.

I have to admit, as much as I worry over the Doctor and his lack of knowledge about our previous life, I simply adore playing Happy Couple with him, even if he doesn't know it.

"You best get ready for your class. Can't have you being late." I urge

"Ah, yes, and you better go back to being nurse."

"Of course. Martha, could you accompany me in again today? With so many boys finding maladies to get out of class I would be grateful for an extra pair of hands."

"Of course ma'am." Smiles Martha

Since I have no medical training whatsoever, Martha comes with me to the nurses office three or four times a week to help me out. It also provides us opportunity to talk about things out of away from unwanted ears.

The Doctor and I quickly dress, and head out to our respective duties.

"Rose? This boy, Gregory Jenkins, is complaining of a cold!" Martha leads the scrawny brown haired boy to me.

"Hello, Gregory." I smile

"Hello." He croaks back

After a couple of months I know when a child is faking, and this one is not.

"Well, Gregory, why don't you go lie down in the third bed, and I'll be in in just a moment to give you some cold medicine."

"Thank you, Nurse."

"Of course."

Martha takes him back to the beds

"Oh, Gregory!" I call after him, and he turns back

"Yes?"

"What class were you just in?"  
"History, Ma'am." He answers

That's the class the Doctor teaches

"Alright, you lie down."

I mark him in the book, while Martha administers his medicine. I look towards the empty doorway, and the Doctor walks past

"Morning, dear." I call

The Doctor slows down a little and answers distractedly.

"Yes, hi." He disappears up the stairs.

"Head in the clouds, that one." mutters Jenny, the woman who's cleaning the floor just outside the door.

"Actually, Martha would you mind holding down the fort? I need to go speak to Mr. Smith."

"Of course, ma'am." Martha responds, and I hurry after the Doctor.

He's standing on the stairs, arms laden with books

"John?" I call, and while turning, the Doctor fumbles with the top book and it falls to the floor. He quickly steps on it to stop it falling away.

"There we go." He pants

"Let me help you."

"No, no, I've got it, no..." He pauses "Um... ah... Just to... retrieve... ah... If you could take these..." He hands me the stack of books, then bends to pick up the book.

"Good."

"No harm done." He grins at me, affectionately "So, um, how was Mr. Jenkins?"

"Oh just a cold, nothing serious. I think he's missing his mother, more than anything." I sigh

"Aw, can't have that." Sighs the Doctor sympathetically

"Hopefully he'll receive a letter soon so he's a lot more chipper." I look down at the stack of books I am still holding. "I appear to be holding your books."

The Doctor is still staring at me, then suddenly snaps back to life.

"Yes, so you are! Sorry, sorry." He starts to relieve me of the books awkwardly.

"Just let me…"

"No, why don't I take half?"

"Ah, brilliant idea, brilliant. Perfect. Division of labour." He grins

"We've always made quite a team." I smile, a little sad

"Don't we just." He is all smiles

"So, these books. Were they being taken in any particular direction?" I ask

"Yes. Um..." He looks up the corridor, thinking- then turns to the other direction. "This way." Ever the gentleman, he lets me lead on.

We continue down the hall before he stops to look at a wooden noticeboard on one wall of the landing.

"Have you seen this, love? The annual dance at the village hall tomorrow. It's nothing formal, but rather fun by all accounts. Do you want to come with me? I fear that with all of our work we don't get any time to enjoy ourselves together."

"I think that would be lovely." I laugh

"That's brilliant. Always a good idea to have a pretty lady with you when you go to a dance."

"The stairs." I warn, as he's backing up towards them

"It... what about the stairs?" He asks

"They're right behind you!" I rush forward but it's too late.

The Doctor turns to see and overbalances, falling backwards down the stairs and sending the books flying.

I rush down the stairs.

"John!" I press my hand to his head

"Ow." He mutters

I look up to see a young boy watching with wide eyes.

"Go to the nurses office and tell the maid Martha there I require her assistance immediately."

He nods and scampers off

A little later, Martha arrives

"Oh, dear God, what did he do?" she gasps

"Took a tumble down the stairs." I sigh "I need help getting him to our room."

We heave him up, and help him walk back to our room.

I sit him down in a chair so I can clean the wound on the back of his head.

He's conscious now, and is moaning and groaning

"Stop it. The boys cause less fuss than this." I tease

"Because it hurts!" Whines the Doctor

"Have you checked for concussion?" Whispers Martha to me

"I have." I whisper back

"Rose, love, I was just thinking about my dreams again. I took a nap between my two class periods and I keep imagining that I'm someone else, and that I'm hiding..."

"Hiding? In what way?" I encourage as I check his arms for breaks the way Martha taught me

"This is going to sound silly..."

"Tell me."

"I dream, quite often, that I have two hearts."

"I can assure you that you are quite human. Remember our conversation this morning?"

I kiss the top of his head "Perfectly human."

"I have written down some of these dreams in the form of fiction... um... not that it would be of any interest."

"I'd be very interested." I hurriedly say

The Doctor stands and moves to the desk. He hands me a black leather-bound journal, and she reads the handwritten title on the first page.

""Journal of Impossible Things"." I read aloud, for Martha's benefit

I turn the pages, and they are covered in both writing and ink pictures. The central console is sketched on the first page, then the monitor screen section, a detailed sketch of the gas-mask victim from our encounter with the nanogenes.

"Just look at these creatures!" I marvel

I turn the page again to reveal a Dalek in all its inked glory.

"Such imagination." I marvel

"Mmm. It's become quite a hobby. In between classes and the like. Thought it a bit to fantastical to bother you with."

I flip through more pages, more sketches and pages of writing. The face of the Moxx of Balhoon gives way to a sketch of two Autons, then to the face of one of the clockwork robots that had tried to take the brain of Madame de Pompadour.

"It's wonderful." I murmur "Please, continue showing me your work!"

I freeze when I flip the page revealing a drawing of Wolfe.

"Who is this?" I choke out

"Just an invention. This character, Wolfe, I call her, Wolfe. Seems to disappear later on..."

I fight back tears as he turns another page, another sketch; this time of a quartet of Cybermen, and in the top corner on the next page, a small sketch of the Tardis. There is a bigger, more detailed sketch further down the page.

"Ah, that's the box, the blue box, it's always there. Like a... like a magic carpet, this funny little box that transports me to far away places." He explains

The next page is a mess of writing, but the pictures stand out brightly; the faces the Doctor has had before, the ones I saw when he first showed me his memories

"I sometimes think how magical life would be if things like this were true." "If only." I sigh

"It's just a dream." He gives a short, quiet laugh.

I flip the next page. It's the Doctor's watch, inside and out.

A school bell rings

"Oh, I best be going." Sighs the Doctor, hopping up

"Could I hold onto this?" I ask

"Yeah, sure. I'm glad you like it." He smiles, before hurrying off

"Come on Martha, we better get back to the office."


	35. Chapter 35

_"Yeah, sure. I'm glad you like it." He smiles, before hurrying off_

 _"Come on Martha, we better get back to the office."_

I wait in the cold for Martha to bring out the beer. The village pub is too loud for me to enjoy.

"Ooh, it's freezing out here! Why can't we have a drink inside the pub?"

Whines Martha as she sets the drinks in front of me

"We need to talk and I'm sure the drink will help us." I respond

"Probably." Martha takes a sip. "Only 21 more days."

"I know." I smile "I am so happy to go home."

"Me too." Nods Martha "So those dreams…"

"I can't believe he hasn't told me before!" I groan "Must be the residue from his original form, not wanting me to worry." I shake my head.

Suddenly, a green light flares into and out of existence in the night sky. "Did you see that?" I demand  
"See what?" she asks

"Did you see it though? Right up there, just for a second." I point to the sky

"There's nothing there." sighs Martha

"I was sure…" I mutter, before one of the maids comes running from the forest

"Did you see that? There was something in the woods... this light..." she gasps

The Doctor emerges from the pub and approaches us.

"Anything wrong, ladies? Far too cold to be standing around in the dark, don't you..."

"There!" I point into the night sky, we see the light fly over again, like a shooting star.

"There, look in the sky!" Agrees the terrified maid

"That's beautiful" sighs Martha

"There... orgom. Commonly known as a meteorite. It's just rocks falling to the ground, that's all."

"It came down in the woods." Panics the maid

"No, no no, they always look close, when actually they're miles off. Nothing left but a cinder." He turns to me "Now, I should escort you back to the school." He turns to Martha and the maid "Ladies?"

I shake my head at Martha, silently telling her to go after whatever that was.

"No, we're fine, thanks." Martha declines

"Then I shall bid you goodnight." Putting on his hat, The Doctor and I walk away back towards the school.

We arrive in our room about half an hour later, freezing cold.

He starts a fire in the fireplace and hands me a glass of warm tea.

"There you are Love. I don't want you catching a cold."

"Thank you, John." I smile

There's a knock at the door. The Doctor goes to the door and opens it.

I look over my shoulder to see a young boy, whose name I think was Timothy Latimer, standing in the doorway

"You told me to come and collect that book, Sir."

"Good lad, yes... yes! "The Definitive Account of Mafeking" by Aitchison-Price, where did I put it?" He walks to his desk, Timothy following slowly behind.

"Hello, Ma'am." Nods Timothy

"Hello." I nod back

"And I wanted a little word, your marks aren't quite good enough." Adds the Doctor

"I'm top ten in my class, sir." Protests Timothy

"Now, be honest, Timothy. You should be the very top. You're a clever boy, but you seem to be hiding it. Where is that book..." With no luck finding the book on his desk, the Doctor walks into the library off the main room.

"And I know why. Keeping your head low avoids the mockery of your classmates. But no man should hide himself, don't you think..." I hear him speaking as I stay curled up near the fireplace

"Yes sir..." I hear Timothy answer

"You're clever, be proud of it. Use it." Continues the Doctor "Fascinating details about the siege, really quite remarkable, are you alright?" He asks

"Yes Sir. Fine, Sir." Responds Tim as they walk back into the room

"Right then. Good. And remember, use that brain of yours!" The Doctor holds out the book and Timothy goes to take it, and freezes as soon as his hands touch the book

"You're really not looking yourself, old chap, anything bothering you, or...?" Asks the Doctor

"No Sir... Thank you, Sir." Walking quickly Timothy exits, closing the door behind him.

"Poor boy. I remember being just like him at his age." Sighs the Doctor, coming to me in the doorway.

"Perhaps its time to go to bed? I am quite exhausted" I sigh

"Good idea." Nods the Doctor, taking my hand and leading me to our bed.

I yawn awake to the sound of my clock. I immediately notice the Doctor is already gone. Rolling out of bed, I find a note on my dresser, from the Doctor. He promised a teacher on medical leave he'd take over a class this morning, and apologizes for leaving so early. I smile, tucking the note into my dressing gown pocket.

Hearing gunshots, I walk to the window.

The Doctor is teaching the boys how to fire rifles. I wince, knowing World War One is only a year away, and a lot of these boys will loose their lives fighting.

There's a knock on the door.

"Come in!" I call, and Martha enters

"Morning ma'am." Martha calls, carrying a breakfast tray before she shuts the door. Its better for pretenses to only have Martha not be my maid once the door is fully closed.

"How are you Martha?"

"Fine." She sighs "20 more days."

"I know. I hate to say it, because of your position, but I almost wish we didn't have to go back. I miss the travelling and everything, but there's something so nice about just being happy here like this." I sigh "but he doesn't remember anything, and that I miss more than I like life here."

"I understand." Nods Martha

"How was the Tardis?"

"She's good. Little lonely I think. Oh, god I'm talking about a ship like a human."

"It's okay. She's alive, so it's close enough. What do you think that green light was?"

"I don't know, but I wouldn't worry about it. The Doctor told us that nothing would happen. He's probably right- just a meteor."

"Probably." I nod

"Oh, he wanted me to give you a message. If you didn't mind being a little late to the office, he would love to take you out for breakfast and a walk in about five minutes. I could take over for you downstairs if you'd like."

"Thank you Martha, that would be lovely." I smile and she nods, leaving

I walk to my room to get dressed. I pull on my pale blue floor length gown, my apron, and I tie my hair up in a bun so it doesn't get in my way.

After pulling on my shoes, I walk back into the main sitting room, where I set the table and lay out breakfast.

"Hello, Love." The Doctor walks in

I look up, grinning "Hello. I heard we're heading out for breakfast?"

"Yes." He smiles, pressing a kiss to the side of my head, before taking my arm and leading me from the door. "I thought you deserved something special after helping me when I fell yesterday."

I laugh "Quite right too!"

He smiles, but I jump at the sound of gunfire again.

"I have to admit, I hate finding myself as part of that school watching boys learn how to kill." I sigh.

"Don't you think discipline is good for them?" He asks

"Does it have to be such military discipline? I mean, if there's another war those boys won't find it so amusing."

"Well... Great Britain's at peace, long may it reign." He answers and I try not to wince. "I'll admit mankind doesn't need warfare and bloodshed to prove itself; everyday life can provide honour and valour and...let's hope that from now on this, this country can find its heroes in smaller places."

"Yes." I nod as we start down the street, heading towards the town.

"How are your classes doing?" I restart the conversation

"Really quite well. I noticed that Timothy Latimer has been holding back a bit. He is an extraordinary student."

"But you spoke to him last night." I respond as we start down the sidewalk.

"Yes, and I hope he proves to be more focused today. Unfortunately, Timothy didn't want to…" He is distracted "shoot the gun…." He continues looking around " because…he…"

Suddenly he bounds forward, snatches a cricket ball from a young boy and pitches it at a bundle of spare scaffolding poles standing outside the ironmongers. The poles fall, hitting a plank of wood with a brick on the end. The brick flies into the air, up and over a piano being hoisted up to a window, just as the rope snaps and it starts to hurtle to the ground. The brick hits a milk churn on a cart, sending it falling into the path of a woman pushing a pram and stopping it in its tracks. The woman screams and the piano hits the floor and smashes, just a meter from her.

I stare at the Doctor amazed.

As the baby in the pram starts to cry, the two workmen rush to see if the woman is alright.

"Lucky..." Mutters the Doctor

"That was luck?" I demand "John, that was much more than luck!"

"Maybe." Shrugs the Doctor, and I suppress a sigh. Bits of the Doctor shine through occasionally, like this moment, and they vanish just as quickly.

"Come on then, breakfast." I hurry us along

"By the way, Love, the dance we discussed before my tumble is tonight if you'd like to join me."

"I would love to." I grin, before nudging him with my shoulder "It's all becoming clear now, the Doctor is the man you'd like to be, doing impossible things with cricket balls."

"Well, I discovered a talent, that's certainly true!"

"But the Doctor has an eye for the ladies!"

"The devil too!" Protests the Doctor

"A girl at every fireplace." I tease again

"Now, there I have to protest, love, that's hardly me!"

"Says the man going dancing with me tonight!"

We laugh

The Doctor spies the scarecrow hanging oddly.

"That scarecrow's all skewed." Sighs the Doctor, spotting a scarecrow over the small garden in the park. He walks over to the scarecrow and begins to fix it.

"Ever the artist." I sigh

"I learned on Gallifrey."

I choke for a moment, eyes wide "Where is that?"

"…Ireland? Yes, it must be, yes." Nods the Doctor

"But you're not Irish?" I ask

"Not at all, no. My father Sidney was a watchmaker from Nottingham and my mother Verity was..." He pauses "...um... well, she was a nurse, actually." He answers, awkwardly

"Oh, I must meet them sometime."

"Really? Right. Yes. Well, my work is done, what do you think?" He stands back and I look at the scarecrow.

"Masterpiece." I nod

"All sorts of skills today!" Laughing, we head back onto the road, walking into the little diner.


	36. Chapter 36

_"Masterpiece." I nod_

 _"All sorts of skills today!" Laughing, we head back onto the road, walking into the little diner._

After breakfast, we walked back to school and went to our respective duties. Later in the afternoon, once my shift as nurse had finished and the Doctor had completed all his history classes for the day, we were in our room, and I was letting him sketch me.

"Can I see?" I ask, tired of holding my position on the windowsill, book open in my arms, the setting sun on my back.

"I'm almost done."

I wait another moment.

"Done."

The Doctor moves to sit next to me on the windowsill, showing me the book.

I gasp in delight and surprise.

"Oh, goodness... Do I look like that?" I laugh aloud, amazed at the beauty with which he portrayed me. "Are you sure that's not me?" I point to the sketch of a Slitheen on the opposite page.

"Most definitely this page, I should think." He points back to his sketch of me.

"You've made me far too beautiful." I shake my head

"Well that's how I see you." He answers as he fondly brushes the side of my hair. Slowly, he leans in towards me and we share a long and loving kiss. The kiss the Doctor gives me as John Smith is so different compared to the Doctor's, you can hardly believe it's the same man.

We hear the rattle of the door, and we break apart, quickly.

"Martha, what have I told you about entering unannounced?" Groans the Doctor and Martha scurries back out of the door and closes it behind her.

"Don't chastise her so much. She's only trying to help." I sigh

"Sorry Love." He mutters

"We better get ready for the dance." I stand up "I'll be in the loo, don't come in."

I walk to my closet, select my dress, a simple pale blue dress, with darker blue lace over top it, with cap sleeves and a wide V neck, as is the style for the time period. I pin my hair up again and brush a tiny bit of make up on and put on the silver necklace the Doctor bought me for our one year "anniversary" last month.

"Rose, love are you ready to go?"

"What do you think?" I walk into the sitting room, where the Doctor has done his hair and put on his familiar pin stripe suit. I turn around to show him the dress

"You look wonderful." He compliments and I smile.

"What time does the dance begin?"

"Um... I'm not certain..." The Doctor answers and I laugh

"There's a surprise. Is there anything you're certain about?" I tease

"Yes." The Doctor whispers, stepping forward, and giving me a kiss.

The moment is quickly broken as the door bursts open and a breathless Martha runs in.

"They've found us!" She gasps, and my stomach clenches

"Martha, I've warned you." Growls the Doctor

"They've found us, and I've seen them. They look like people, like us, like normal. I'm sorry, but you've got to open the watch."

We look to the mantle piece, and the watch is missing.  
"Where is it?" Cries Martha, and she shuffles through the things on the mantle piece. "Oh my god, where's it gone? Where's the watch?" Demands Martha

I know if I join in the Doctor wont know what's happening. The best thing for me to do is act bewildered.

"What are you talking about?"

"You had a watch, a fob watch. Right there!" Wails Martha

"Did I? I don't remember and I can't see what concern it is of yours." Responds the Doctor  
"But we need it... oh my god, Doctor we're hiding from aliens, and they've got Jenny and they've... possessed her or copied her or something and you've got to tell me, where's the watch?" She demands and I realize she just told the Doctor who he is

"Oh I see..." The Doctor gasps, before muttering quietly to me "Cultural differences."

He picks up his journal, which I left on the table.

"It must be so confusing for you. Martha, this is what we call a story." He tells her, slowly and very patronizing.  
"Oh you complete..." She groans, furious "This" She waves her hands at the Doctor "is not you, this is nineteen thirteen." She explains, looking to me for help

"Good. This is nineteen thirteen." Nods the Doctor, as if talking to a child

"I am sorry, I'm really sorry but I've got to snap you out of this." She reaches back her hand and slaps his hard across the face.

"Martha!" I gasp in surprise.

"Wake up!" She yells, taking his hand and pulling him along.

"How dare you! I'm not going anywhere with an insane servant!" Roars the Doctor and I step in.

"John, why don't I see if I can explain to Martha what's going on? I'm sure she didn't mean anything by it. Please, Love, let me try a moment."

"Fine." Growls the Doctor and I take Martha's arm, dragging her out into the hallway.

"What is wrong with you?" I hiss

"We need to go! They found us!"

"Okay, but the Doctor isn't going to go like that. We have to find the watch first!"

"But Rose-"

"Martha, listen to me. I am going to the dance with the Doctor. He needs his world to remain this way for as long as possible. Once you find the watch we can talk to him. While we're gone, search everywhere for it. Ask the Tardis for help. We lose that watch we lose him forever!"

"Okay." She nods "I'm sorry."

"Alright. Good luck." I give her a quick hug, before walking back into the room.

"Alright John, are you ready to go?" I ask

"Yes. What was wrong with her?"

"I think she's taken ill. I sent her to rest. I am terribly sorry."

"At least there's a reason Martha went mad. Are you ready?"

"Yes. The funny thing is, you did have a fob watch. Right there. Don't you remember?" I ask but he just shakes his head.

We arrive outside the dance hall ten minutes later.

"Spare a penny for the veterans of the Crimea, sir?" asks a man by the door.

"Yes, of course." The Doctor digs in his pocket and pulls out a coin

"There you are."

We walk inside where people are milling about, getting drinks from a beer keg, laughing and talking.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Please take your partners for a waltz." Announces the man

The Doctor offers his hand and we start to dance. I had to learn how to waltz when we got here, taking private lessons.

We dance to three songs before I need a break. I sit down and the Doctor goes to find us something to drink.

I spot him, chatting with a couple of guys and wave at him, indicating that I am waiting and he gestures to the drink stand, where he is still waiting in line.

"Rose." I turn to see Martha standing next to me

"Did you find it?"

"No." She shakes her head.

"Oh no…"

"I just wanted to say sorry for what I'm about to do." She winces. "I have a crazy idea and you're not going to like it."

The Doctor has returned, so I can't argue with her and he looks none to pleased to see Martha there

"Oh, now really, Martha. This is getting out of hand. I must insist that you leave."

Martha holds out the sonic screwdriver and I suppress a gasp

"Do you know what this is? Name it. Go on, name it."

"John?" I whisper as he slowly takes it off Martha and turns it over in his hands.

"You're not John Smith. You're called the Doctor. The man in your journal, he's real. He's you."

The Doctor is staring at the sonic, running his hands over it, slowly

A man bursts into the room, gun in hand. Knocking over a hat stand as he strides in, the people shriek and move away.

"There will be silence! All of you!" orders the man

Scarecrows file in after a woman dressed in a maid's uniform and one of the students

"I said silence!" Howls the man

"Mr. Clarke! What's going on?" Demands the announcer and Clarke turns and fires at the announcer, dissolving him into nothing.

"Mr. Smith, everything I told you, just forget it! Don't say anything!" Hisses Martha

"We asked for silence! Now then. We have a few questions for Mr Smith."

"No, better than that." Giggles a little girl, sitting behind us, running to them

"The teacher. He's the Doctor. I heard them talking."

"You took human form." Gasps the student

"Of course I'm human, I was born human! As were you, Baines. And Jenny, and you, Mr Clarke! What is going on, this is madness!" Gasps the Doctor

"And a human brain, too! Simple, thick and dull." Laughs Baines

"He's no good like this." Growls Jenny

"We need a Time Lord." Agrees the little girl.

"Easily done." Shrugs Baines. Stepping forward, he raises his gun and aims it at the Doctor. The crowd gasps and the Doctor recoils backwards. I take his hand and hold it tightly.

"Change back." Orders Baines

"I don't know what you're talking about." The Doctor responds, confused

"Change back!" Orders Baines again

"I literally do not know..."

Jenny grabs Martha, holding a gun to her head, Martha screams.

"Get off me!" Shrieks Martha

"She's your friend, isn't she? Doesn't this scare you enough to change back?"

"I don't know what you mean!"

"Let's have you!" Growls Clarke, who grabs me and holds me hostage, as Jenny is with Martha.

"Have you enjoyed it, Doctor? Being human? Has it taught you wonderful things, are you better, richer, wiser? Then let's see you answer this. Which one of them do you want us to kill? Your friend, or your Wife? Your choice…." Growls Baines as I struggle to free myself.

"Perhaps if that human heart breaks, the Time Lord will emerge." Giggles Baines

"It's him!" Gasps Clark and all the possessed people turn to look to the left at something. Using the distraction, Martha turns the tables on Jenny, holding a gun to her.

"One more move and I shoot." Growls Martha

"Oh, the maid is full of fire!" Chuckles Baines

"And you can shut up!" She fires the gun into the ceiling.

"Careful, Son of Mine. This is all for you so that you can live forever." Warns Clarke as he tightens his arms around me

"We'll shoot you down!" Growls Baines

"Try it. We'll die together." Warns Martha and it occurs to me how much of a warrior she has become. She's been so strong and helpful the past few months and now she's risking everything to help the Doctor and I.  
"Would you really pull the trigger? Looks too scared." Cackles Baines

"Scared and holding a gun. It's a good combination. You wanna risk it?" snarls Martha

Baines looks at the Doctor, who is completely out of his depth, before lowering the gun. Clark does the same and I rush to the Doctor.

"Mr. Smith, Rose, get everyone out. There's a door at the side. It's over there. Go on!" Orders Martha The Doctor stands indecisive, as I tug his hand

"Do it, Mr. Smith. I mean you!" Orders Martha again

"Do what she said. Everybody out now." I yell and begin to usher everyone else "Don't argue, Mr. Jackson. They're mad. That's all we need to know. Susan, Miss Cooper, outside, all of you!" I urge all of my coworkers and other villagers out of the door.

I run back to see Timothy Latimer standing there

"Move yourself, boy. Back to the school, quickly." I urge and he turns and runs.

"And you and Mr. Smith. Go on. Just shift." Martha tells me

"What about you?" asks the Doctor

"Mr. Smith, I think you should escort your wife to safety, don't you?" The Doctor looks to the door, to Martha, back to the door then Martha again before taking my hand and running out. As soon as we arrive outside we begin directing those outside.

"Mr. Hicks, go to the village. Get everyone out. Latimer, get back to the school. Tell the headmaster..." The Doctor reaches out to touch Timothy's shoulder but he lurches away.

"Don't touch me! You're as bad as them!" He runs off, leaving the Doctor looking heartbroken.

"Its okay, Love." I whisper, and he rounds on me angrily

"Am I? Am I your love? How do you even know I'm the same man? How can you love me knowing I am not who I thought I was and I didn't even know it?"

I take a step back surprised.

He pauses, staring at me, wide eyed, I think a little shocked at himself.

Martha runs out the door of the hall and starts yelling at us

"Don't just stand there, move! God, you're rubbish as a human! Come on!"

The Doctor grabs my hand and we chase after Martha.


	37. Chapter 37

_"Don't just stand there, move! God, you're rubbish as a human! Come on!"_

 _The Doctor grabs my hand and we chase after Martha._

We run all the way back to the school, breathless. The Doctor closes the heavy wooden main door behind us. Once inside the school's front hall, he immediately begins ringing a bell.

"What're you doing?" I demand, covering my ears

"Maybe one man can't fight them, but this school teaches us to stand together. Take arms! Take arms!" He yells

"You can't do that!" Martha protests  
"You want me to fight, don't you? Take arms! Take arms!"

Boys begin rushing down the stairs.

"I say sir, what's the matter?" asks one of them

"Enemy at the door, Hutchinson. Enemy at the door. Take arms!" He orders and the boy runs off.

It makes me sick to see these boys going off to war against the Doctor's enemy. The real Doctor would have died before letting any of these boys fight his battle.

The boys are loading machine guns and other weapons, as the Doctor walks down the line of boys, followed frantically by Martha and I.

"You can't do this, Doctor. Mr Smith!" Martha begs

"Maintain position over the stable yard." He orders the boys

"They're just boys! You can't ask them to fight!" I protest

"Faster now! That's it." Urges the Doctor

"They don't stand a chance!" I wail

"They're cadets, Rose. They are trained to defend the King and all his properties." Snarls the Doctor and I am taken aback at how harshly he used my name.

The Headmaster enters the room.

"What in thunder's name is this? Before I devise an excellent and endless series of punishments for each and every one of you, could someone explain very simply and immediately exactly what is going on?" He roars

"Headmaster, I have to report the school is under attack." The Doctor responds

"Really? Is that so? Perhaps you and I should have a word in private." Growls the headmaster

"I promise you, sir. I was in the village with my wife. It's Baines, sir. Jeremy Baines and Mr. Clarke from Oakham Farm. They've gone mad, sir. They've got guns. They've already murdered people in the village. I saw it happen." He explains

"Is that so?" the headmaster asks me

"I'm afraid it's true, sir." I nod

"Murder on our own soil?"

"I saw it, yes."

"Perhaps you did well then, Mr. Smith. What makes you thing the danger's coming here?" questions the headmaster

"Well, sir, they said, um..." The Doctor trails off

"Baines threatened Mr. Smith, sir. Um, said he'd follow him. We don't know why." I jump in quickly

"Very well. You boys, remain on guard. Mr. Snell, telephone the police. Mr. Philips, with me. We shall investigate." Announces the Headmaster starting to walk off, but Martha stands in front of the Headmaster to stop him.  
"No, it's not safe out there." Warns Martha

"Mr. Smith, it seems your favorite servant is giving me advice. You will control her, sir." Sniffs the headmaster before he leaves

"We've got to find the watch." Martha Whispers to me

"I know, but I can't help you right now."

"Why not?"

"Those boys are going to fight. I might not be a doctor, but I'm still their nurse. They need me."

She nods "Of course." She pauses before adding "And so does he."

I nod, and she gives me a half smile before running off. I hurry to the nurses office and change into my spare uniform, before heading back to the Doctor, where he's talking to a pair of boys, preparing for battle.

"You're with Armitage and Thwaites. They know the drill." He catches sight of me

"Rose, it's not safe." He warns

"I'm doing my duty, just as much as you." I answer back, my heart breaking as all I want is to joke with My Doctor, the Doctor with whom I've lived without for months "Fine evening we've had together." I joke

"Not quite as planned." He answers back, and I smile slightly

I suddenly come up with an idea to help him remember who he is.

"Tell me about Nottingham." I order

"Sorry?"

"That's where you were brought up. Tell me about it." I urge

"Well, it lies on the River Leen, its southern boundary following the course of the River Trent which flows from Stoke to the Humber." He answers

"That sounds like an encyclopaedia. Where did you live?" I press

"Broadmoor Street, adjacent to Hotley Terrace in the district of Radford Parade."

"But more than facts. When you were a child, where did you play? All those secret little places... dens and hideaways that only a child knows? Tell me, John. Please tell me." I urge

"How can you think that I'm not real? When I kissed you, was that a lie?" He snarls, suddenly angry again

"No, it wasn't. No." I answer back, calmly

"But this Doctor sounds like some... some romantic lost prince. Would you rather that? Am I not enough?"

"No, John. I love you dearly" I respond, knowing that if I was to tell him who I really was he would abandon me when he needs me most.

"I've got to go." He sighs

"John Smith wouldn't want them to fight, never mind the Doctor. The John Smith I am married to, he knows it's wrong, doesn't he?" I ask, desperately

"What choice do I have?" He whispers, giving me a soft kiss, and then running off.

Tears stream down my face as I hear the headmaster shouting orders before one word lingers in the air, loudly, and then followed by a rainstorm of gunfire  
"Fire!"

I press my hands to my face as I listen to the battle, before recovering and collecting my medical kit.

The gunfire stops, and I freeze.

I wait, in the silence.

One shot goes off, sounding like the gunshot of the alien weapons.

I take off, running through the halls before I burst out the door

"I'll not see this happen. Not anymore." Yells the Doctor in the silence, to the boys "You will retreat... in an orderly fashion back through the school. Hutchinson, lead the way."

"But sir..." protests Hutchinson

"I said, lead the way!"

Baines fires his gun in the air, and the boys run back towards the school, followed by Martha and the Doctor. I lead them to the back passage through the stables.

"Let's go! Quick as you can!" He orders

"Don't go to the village! It's not safe!" Warns Martha

"And you, ladies!" the Doctor urges us

"Not until we get the boys out." I respond, stubbornly

"Now, I insist. The pair of you just go. If there are any more boys inside, I'll find them." He opens the door to be greeted by a wall of scarecrows.

"I think... retreat."

We race through the stable and out into the cold winter air.

"Doctor! Doctor! Martha, Rose!" Sing songs a voice and we turn to see Clark standing in front of the Tardis.

"Come back, Doctor. Come home. Come and claim your prize."

"Out you come, Doctor! There's a good boy. Come to the Family." Teases Baines

"Time to end it now!" Jenny agrees

"You recognize it, don't you?" Martha whispers

"Come out, Doctor! Come to us!" teases Jenny

"I've never seen it in my life." Hisses The Doctor

"Do you remember its name?" Urges Martha

"I'm sorry, John, but you wrote about it. The blue box. You dreamt of a blue box." I say

"I'm not... I'm John Smith. That's all I want to be. John Smith, with his life... and his job... and his love." He looks at me, tears in his eyes. "Why can't I be John Smith? Isn't he a good man?"

"Yes. Yes, he is." I nod

"Why can't I stay?"

"But we need the Doctor." Martha responds

"So what am I then, nothing? I'm just a story." The Doctor runs off leaving Martha and I to trail him

"This way. I think I know somewhere we can hide." I urge

"We've got to keep going." Pants the Doctor

"Just listen to me for once, John. Follow me." I order

Martha and the Doctor silently follow me down a smaller path until we arrive at a dark house

"Here we are. It should be empty. Oh, it's a long time since I've run that far." I groan

"But who lives here?" Martha asks

"If I'm right, no one." We walk slowly to the front door and I enter first. It is a simple cottage kitchen with tea set on the table.

"Hello? No one home. We should be safe here."

"Whose house is it, though?"

"Um, the Cartwrights. That little girl at the school... she's Lucy Cartwright, or she's taken Lucy Cartwright's form. If she came home this afternoon and if the parents tried to stop their little girl, then they were vanished." I wince

I put my hand to the tea pot "Stone cold."

The Doctor sits on one of the chairs at the table and looks as if he's carrying the weight of the world.

"I must go to them before anyone else dies." He murmurs

"Not without the watch." Disagrees Martha

"You're this Doctor's companion! Can't you help? What exactly do you do for him? Why does he need you?" Shrieks the Doctor at her

Martha opens and shuts her mouth.

"And that's what you want me to become?" He howls.

There's a knock on the door and we all turn to face it.

"What if it's them?" I whisper

"I'm not an expert, but I don't think scarecrows knock." Martha walks to the door and opens it to reveal Timothy Latimer.

"I brought you this." He holds out watch.

"The watch!" gasps Martha, taking it from him. She turns to the Doctor  
"Hold it." She urges

"I won't."

"Please, just hold it." Martha repeats  
"It told me to find you. It wants to be held."

"You've had this watch all this time? Why didn't you return it?" I demand

"Because it was waiting. And because I was scared of the Doctor." He answers

"Why?" demands the Doctor

"Because... I've seen him. He's... like fire and ice and rage. He's like the night and the storm in the heart of the sun."

"Stop it." Groans the Doctor

"He's ancient and forever. He burns at the center of time and he can see the turn of the universe." Continues Timothy

"Stop! I said stop it." Yells the Doctor

"And he's wonderful." Finishes Timothy.

I remember I stashed his journal in my purse. I reach in and pull it out.

"I've still got this. The journal."

"Those are just stories." Denies the Doctor

"Now we know that's not true. Perhaps there's something in here."

There is an explosion outside and we all gasp.

"What the hell?" Martha demands and we look out the window to see what could pass for meteorites falling to the ground.

"They're destroying the village." I sigh

"Watch." Whispers the Doctor and he picks it up.

"Can you hear it?" Timothy asks

"I think he's asleep. Waiting to awaken." Answers the Doctor  
"Why did he speak to me?" asks Timothy

"Oh, low-level telepathic field. You were born with it. Just an extra synaptic engram causing..." He babbles, before stopping and inhales deeply "Is that how he talks?" He asks Martha

"That's him! All you have to do is open it and he's back." Grins Martha while I fight back tears after hearing my Doctor.

"And now you expect me to die?" He demands as explosions continue outside.

"It was always going to end, though! The Doctor said the Family's got a limited lifespan. That's why they need to consume a Time Lord."

"So your job was to execute me." Demands the Doctor

"People are dying out there! They need him and I need him. 'Cause you've got no idea of what he's like. I've only just met him. It wasn't even that long ago, but he is everything... he's just everything to me, the best friends I've ever had, and I don't even know if he thinks of me as I friend but I don't care... 'cause I love him to bits." Martha yells, and I smile. She truly is a great friend, and has done so much for the two of us.

The house rocks with the explosions.

"It's getting closer." Warns Timothy

"I should have thought of it before... I can give them this. Just the watch. Then they can leave and I can stay as I am!" The Doctor grins, and I bite the inside of my cheek

"You can't do that!" protests Martha

"If they want the Doctor, they can have him." Announces the Doctor

"He'll never let you do it." Martha disagrees

"If they get what they want, then... then..."

"Then it all ends in destruction. I never read to the end but those creatures would live forever to breed and conquer. War across the stars... for every child." I respond

The Doctor looks at me as if just seeing me again and is on the verge of tears. He looks betrayed at Martha. "You knew this all along and yet you watched while Rose and I..." He trails off.

"Martha, Timothy, would you leave us alone, please?" I ask and they hurry from the room.

The Doctor breaks down in sobs as soon as they do and I hold him close to me.

"John." I whisper and he turns to me. "If I could do this instead of you, then I would."

"But what if he doesn't love you?"

I smile "There's a reason that I always was in your dreams and its not because I'm your wife."

He stares at me, not understanding.

"I was your Love here." I look around slightly, "and here." I touch the watch in his hand.

As it touches both of us, the watch displays a series of flashbacks. The day we met, our first kiss before he regenerated, meeting Wolfe, Christmas with Wolfe, losing Wolfe, Meeting Donna, Meeting Martha, his breakfast in bed, multiple kisses, our date. We snap back to present.

"Do you see?" I ask him

He looks at me in silence "Do you love me?"

"Yes, because you are still a part of him." I whisper "and I love you both."

"Why didn't you tell me for so long? I knew I was the Doctor and you still didn't say anything."

"You needed me to be your rock. The one thing that would ground you as your world ripped apart."

"You know me well." He murmurs and I nod.

There is a long pause.

"The Doctor loves you? He'll take care of you?" he breaks the silence.

"He always does." I nod

"What about the girl. The Doctor's Daughter? What happened to her?"  
"She sacrificed herself to save the world." I answer, "Because she loved the Doctor and I."

He pauses for a second, staring at the watch.

Looking up at me, he presses a kiss to my lips.

"Goodbye, Love." He whispers, and clicks the watch open.


	38. Chapter 38

I wait with Timothy and Martha as dawn streaks the sky above us. After the Doctor left there had been silence coming from the direction of the alien ship. An explosion erupts over the hill, and we look in shock. Timothy jolts awake from where he had been asleep on Martha's shoulder.

"He'll be fine." Martha says, because she must have seen the worry on my face. "He always is."

I nod, and stay silent.

After what feels like an eternity, the Doctor walks over the hill, grinning like a mad man.

I see straight through it. He is hurting, badly.

"All right. Molto bene!" He calls to us

"Doctor!" Martha grins, running forward to give him a hug, which he gladly returns.

"Hello!" He laughs

"Its so great to have you back." She smiles

"Thanks for lookin' after me." He hugs Martha

When he lets go, the Doctor charges at me, crushing me in a hug.

"Oh! I've missed you!"

"I was with you the whole time!" I laugh

"I know, but I missed knowing you. Not the fake life made for you."

He gives me a quick kiss. I had forgotten the difference between the kisses of the Doctor and John Smith. The Doctor's are so much better.

"Doctor." Timothy calls,

"Tim-Timothy-Timber." Crows the Doctor in response

"I just wanted to say good-bye. And thank you, because I've seen the future and I now know what must be done. It's coming, isn't it? The biggest war ever?" He asks

"You don't have to fight." Martha argues  
"I think we do." He shakes his head

"But you could get hurt." I protest

"Well, so could you, travelling around with him, but it's not going to stop you." He smiles at me, and I stay silent.

"Tim, I'd be honoured if you'd take this." The Doctor gives him the watch. "I can't hear anything." Frowns Timothy

"No, it's just a watch now. But keep it with you. For good luck." The Doctor winks at him

"Look after yourself." Martha hugs Timothy and kisses him on the cheek

"Come on, to the Tardis. You too, Tim, you'll like this bit."

The Doctor leads us to where he's parked the Tardis just beyond the grassy hill.

We enter and dematerialize.

"Doctor, why didn't we take Timothy with us?" I ask, and the Doctor smiles at me

"Because Tim has much more important things to go do."

We land.

"Come on!" He urges, running to the door and opening.

We're greeted with a song, and a bright sunny day.

Stepping out of the Tardis, I look around in confusion.

We seem to be at a formal event. From the sign, we're at a Remembrance Sunday service. I snag a poppy from the table and pin it onto the Doctor's jacket.

He is smiling at something.

Turning, I see an old man in a wheelchair, staring right at us.

He has several medals on his uniform and clearly was a respected soldier.

I catch a glimpse of something shiny in his hand. It's the watch. With a start, I realize this old, decorated veteran is Timothy Latimer.

The Doctor nods his head at Timothy who responds in kind, tears in his eyes. I offer him a wave, before we step back into the Tardis.

"He fought in the first world war?" I ask as we leave.

"And later the second. He was only 17 during the start of the first-world war, and fought until he was 21. He settled down, got married and had two kids. Became a schoolteacher. Then the second-world war began and he joined in, then 42. He fought for six years, until the war was over and after surviving that, he retired, with many honors."

"Spectacular man." Sighs Martha

"Absolutely." Nods the Doctor. "So, I was thinking why don't we head to London for a bit."

"Sounds Brilliant." I nod, looking at Martha

"Sure." She agrees.

"Alright then!" The Doctor pushes some buttons and levers. "So, we have a several hour wait and I think we ought to get some sleep."

"I agree." I nod "I'm very tired. It's been a long night."

"Goodnight Doctor, Goodnight Rose." Martha replies, eagerly getting up and heading down the corridor to her bedroom.

"Goodnight!" The Doctor and I call back, before he starts down the hall

"Come on love, I'm sure you could use a warm shower and maybe we can read a book?" He calls as he walks to our bedroom

I freeze, realizing that he just called me Love. He only did that as John Smith.

"Rose?" He turns around to look at me when I don't follow.

"You called me Love." I say, shocked, "That's what John called me."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I won't do it again if you don't want-" he panics quickly

"No, No. I loved it. I love it."

"Oh." He grins goofily. "Good. Come on Love."

Suppressing a giggle, I hurry forward and take his hand, walking to our bedroom.

He is being sweet and happy, but I knew from the moment he crested the hill that something was wrong. He wont deal with the issue, and it will only get worse.

"What happened to the family?" I ask as he opens the door.

"I punished them." He answers calmly "They now will live forever."

Something about his tone sends chills down my back, so I don't say anything.

"I never said thank you. Keeping an eye on me, and protecting me." The Doctor changes the subject suddenly, and I decide not to pursue it tonight.

"I missed you so much. You have no idea what it was like. He was so kind, and loving and gentle. In another world he would have been my dream man. It hurt me to realize that as much as I loved that version of you, I never was in love with him. That was understandable though. Compared to you…" I shake my head "You're everything John Smith was and more, paired with a life of discovery and purpose and freedom. You literally blew up my awful job the day we met. Remember? A perfect team." I chuckle "Humans must seem so small to you."

"Not you. I remember every single thing that happened as John Smith." He wraps his arms around me "You were perfect and you're the reason that the depth of human emotion and duty never ceases to amaze me."

We stand like that, enjoying each other's company. My mind drifts to Wolfe, and her images in his journal.

"Doctor?"

"Yes?"

"Why did you dream of Wolfe?"  
"Because I love her."

"Can we ever find her? You told me we could look for holes in the universe. Has the Tardis found any? What if Wolfe is in this Universe? How would we even find her? Maybe we could fall through one. Or go back to the spots where done it before, twice."

"Rose." Starts the Doctor "Don't you remember what happened both times? Nearly the end of the human race?"

"But we've got to try. I would save the human race every day for all of eternity if it meant we could have our daughter back."

"Me too."

"Then please!" I beg

"Remember when I told you I was looking for a way to her? I found a lead before the family of blood. I was going to tell you on our date, but I was too nervous to start with that."

"Really?" I look up at him in shock and excitement.

"Yes, but it isn't much. It's just an old house with a lot of excess time energy."

"Let's go!" I urge

"That's where we're going in London."

"Really?"

"Yes. I almost don't want to go."

"Why not?" I sigh

His response is almost a whisper "Because I don't know what I'm going to do if we can't get through to her."

"We will. Even if it takes a lifetime."

"Do you promise?"

"Yes."

After each of us take warm shower, we curl up in bed next to each other.

"So what book did you choose?" the Doctor asks as I tug it out from where I've hidden it under my pillow.

"Your journal of impossible things."

I lay the tattered journal in his lap "I want us to remember all of our adventures. There are still some pages left, and I want to add more to our Journal. So let's start by reading it."

"I love you." He whispers as I open the first pages.

My heart skips a beat.

"I love you too."


	39. Chapter 39

"We're he-re" Sing songs the Doctor, and my eyes fly open

"Really? Have you looked around? Did you find her?"

"Yes, Not yet, No" He answers back "Come on, Martha's been up for an hour! She even made me breakfast."

"Well." I mock huff "If she's all that why don't you take her instead of-"

"Come on!" He gives me a quick kiss "get ready. I want to leave as soon as possible."

He bounds out of our room and I hop out of bed, and tug on a purple hoodie and light grey trousers.

I head to the main console room, where the Doctor and Martha are waiting impatiently.

"Let's go!" He calls and we hurry out of the Tardis

We seem to be parked in a proper parking spot, on an empty street.

"Nice spot Doctor." I call and he chuckles

"Thank you. Now follow me." He walks off

"Are you sure this is it?" I ask as we come to an old rusty fence, covered in vines and overgrowth.

"Yup!" Grins the Doctor

"I found a way in!" Calls Martha, from where she had already scaled the wall. She hops over it, leading the Doctor and I to follow.

"You know it says private property- Danger Keep Out." I mutter as he helps me over the fence.

"That's just a recommendation." He shrugs back.

We land in the grass on the other side, to see a dilapidated house.

"Come on, just through here." The Doctor calls as he bounds up the front steps. Martha and I follow.

He freezes before entering the door, looking over his shoulder.

"What?" I ask, suddenly nervous.

"I thought I saw something move. Must have been a stray cat. Come on!" He grins. He sonics the lock and opens the door with a loud creak.

The Doctor tugs a torch from his pocket and hands it to me. Even though it's broad daylight outside, not much light comes through the boarded windows and dust.

"Achoo!" Martha sneezes, sending more dust through the air.

"Bless you."

"Thanks."

We walk through the house.

"Seems to be coming from over here." The Doctor's sonic leads us through the house, beeping, we head through the foyer, up the stairs and into one of the bedrooms.

We look around, and see nothing.

The sonic whirs again.

"Downstairs!" The Doctor follows the sonic downstairs to the sitting room, which as two full sized angel statues in it.

"Oh no." Mutters the Doctor.

"What?" I turn to look at him

"Look back!" He orders, nearly screaming, and I do to find the statue moved, its fingers now curled around the string on which Tardis key hug around my neck.

"Don't look it in the eye. Don't blink. Don't look away. One touch and its all over." He warns.

"Doctor." I whimper, unable to move as it's got the key around my neck.

I silently thank God that my key was over my hoodie

"Martha look at mine and don't blink." He orders

I feel his arms around me.

"Okay. I am looking at it. I want you to take off the necklace." He orders, and I slowly tug it off my neck, leaving it in the hands of the angel statue.

"Okay."

"Rose, go to Martha and run backwards out of the house. Get out of here."

"But Doctor, what about you?"

"Just go!" He orders, and I turn, running to Martha.

"Martha I'm looking at the angel, back up slowly." I order and she does.

"Keep going." I urge, and we back up, step by step.

"Rose you turn around and lead me so I don't trip." Martha responds.

We're moving painfully slowly, not yet out of the room.

"Okay." I take her hand and turn around, to be face to face with an angel.

I shriek, and in the corner of my eye, I see the Doctor instinctively look to me, to protect me. "Ro-"

Then he's gone.

"Doct-!" I turn, toward where he was, panicked and suddenly I am on my back, on a wet street, Martha's hand still clutched in mine.

I sit up quickly, Martha doing the same.

"Where are we?" I ask, looking around.

We seem to be on a damp street in what looks to be London. It seems to be nearly dawn.

"Doctor!" I call frantically, as Martha and I scramble to our feet. "Doctor!"

"Rose?" I hear his distant echo.

"Doctor!"

"Rose!"

I am charging through the puddles, through the streets, and I can hear Martha trailing after me.

"Doctor!"

"Rose!"

"Doctor!"

He's to my left. I run down the street and to the intersection at the next street.

"Rose!"

His back is to me.

"Doctor!"

He turns around as I charge to him and he wraps his arms in mine.

"Oh thank you." He mutters, clutching me tightly "We're in the same time."

"What do you mean?"

"The weeping angels send people back in time and feed on time energy. We're incredibly lucky to be sent to the same time and place. Rotation of the earth placed you farther away from me." He explains.

"I don't really get that, but its okay. I'm just glad we're together." I sigh

"I'm here too you know." Chuckles Martha.

"Martha" the Doctor lets me go and wraps her up in his arms.

"Hello!" She laughs before he sets her down.

"Where are we Doctor?"

"Looks like London." He says, peering around the lightening street. "But it's fine. We'll just head back to the- oh."

His face suddenly drops "We moved, but the Tardis didn't."

"So…we're trapped?" I ask "In London, in some random time period?"

"Yes." Nods the Doctor

A woman is biking down the street.

"Excuse me ma'am!" Calls the Doctor and she stops.

"Yessir?"

"What's the date?"

"Where have you been living? It's Sunday, June 21st, 1969." She huffs before riding off.

"1969?" Martha gasps, turning to the Doctor. "We're trapped in 1969?"

"Trapped in 1969…" Mutters the Doctor, starting to pace "Why does that seem familiar?"

"What's my Mum gonna think when I return 38 years older? What are we going to do for 38 years?" Martha is continuing to panic, but I watch the Doctor carefully.

"Stuck in 1969!" He suddenly shouts

"Yes I know!" Martha yells back, terrified

"No! Someone told me this was going to happen. Sally. Sally Sparrow."

He digs through his coat pocket before pulling out a folder.

"She said I was going to need this." He opens it up, and silently reads the note on top.

"Oh no."

"What?" I demand

"Its our fault."

"What's our fault?" Martha asks

"That we're here."

"How?"

"We've entered a time loop. Everything we do now has been done, and will be done. 38 years in the future, Sally Sparrow will go through things, which we will have caused, but only know about because she went through them, because both are happening at the exact same moment as what we're doing now. We need a place to stay, and I need to read the rest of this folder. I promise we're going to get out of here." His eyes are alight with excitement. "Come on!" He yells, and takes off down the street.

We found a place to stay, a small inn, where Martha sleeps across the hall from the Doctor and I. We're all in the Doctor and my room as he sifts through the papers he's left out all over the floor. He's been doing this for almost four hours, calling people and having Martha run to the library nearby and get books full of maps. Martha and I have also been looking for jobs, because we have no idea how long we'll be here.  
"Doctor, maybe you could explain to us what's going on?" I ask, and my foot nudges a piece of paper, which he has placed a towel over.

"Don't move that towel!" He orders, frantically, replacing the towel "it's a picture of the weeping angels. A picture of an angel, becomes an angel. We have to keep it covered."

"Okay, but could you tell us how we're going to get out of here?" Martha asks

"Yes. It took me a while, but I've got it."

He holds out his hands and I help him to his feet. He marches over to the photographs on the far side of the room.

"This is our first project." He announces, showing us pictures of the bedroom wall in the house, with the outer layer of wallpaper ripped off, revealing large scrawled writing to Sally, from the Doctor in 1969.

"How did you do that? We haven't done that yet!"

"Yes we have, in her time and no we haven't in ours." answers the Doctor vaguely. "I called the house up and it seems they're in the process of refurbishing it. We're going to sneak in and help the men wallpapering the bedroom, and write the note behind it. Then…" he shows us the next set of pictures. "We need to record our bits of the messages from this transcript" he gestures to it. "and make a DVD with a control command to the Tardis to get the Tardis back here." "After that, we need to go find Cathy Nightingale. The angels transported her in 2007, to 1920 Scotland. I have to give her this note…" He points to the old paper lying next to the picture of Cathy, "To deliver at exactly 10:07 am on June 26thby her Grandson to the house. Then we have to be back here by the time Billy gets here. He should arrive here in London, but it'll be up to us to find him quickly. We must explain to him what happened, give him this list of movies." He shows us the list of 17 movies, "and give him the video of us to put on each of the 17 movies, and the control DVD. His message for Sally in the future is 'look at the list'. Then…" He hops to the last photo, the one covered by the towel. "We have to make sure all of this happens, by leaving these pictures in the house, allowing the angels to get out." He sighs "Before we left I did research on when the house became "haunted". It was in 1969." Then, he grins, "We get back to the Tardis and continue with our journey. Unfortunately, we can never meet Sally again, because this folder explains she never sees us again, until she met me on earth, back when I was buying you roses. Oh, you're Tardis key was in there too. Here you go."

He hands me the key, and I slip it on my neck.

"Wow." Martha nods, slowly "and how long should all of that take?"

"Er…three months?" guesses the Doctor. "I'm not really sure."

"Okay." I nod "Then here's what we have to do. Martha and I have to find jobs, because we need to be able to support this crazy plan. Doctor, you'll have to handle the sneaking about and travelling on your own, because we're going to need a flat, clean clothes and food if we're going to be here for three months."

"Right. Well, at least I still have this." He pulls his psychic paper out of his pocket.

"Martha, you could work as a nurse at the London, shouldn't be too far away. Just a short bike ride." Shrugs the Doctor.

"How many pounds have we got on us? We need to pay for a flat, at least two bikes, your train out to Scotland, clothes and food. This wont be easy." Martha sighs

"I've got a little over £500 on me. Decades of spare change."

"I haven't more than £30" Martha sighs, placing her bills on the table.  
"About £50." I finish counting the money I keep for emergencies in my pocket.

"Alright, £570 plus the time period, that is about £55 pounds, 8 shillings and 11 old pennies."

"What?" I demand, incredulous

"Remember this is before the new system was put into place." replies the Doctor "but we have a lot of money. Most people work only in shillings. There are 20 shillings in a pound. With this we could rent ourselves a nice flat, buy a couple bikes, and if we stretch it, support us for at least two weeks before we get jobs and paychecks."

"Most of it should go to a flat. We need a space to work." I say "It'll allow us to keep to ourselves. Martha, you ought to go to the hospital today and apply for a job. The Doctor and I will find us a flat to rent. Doctor, clean all of this up, and pack up. Hide it under the bed. We'll come back to it later. Doctor do you know how much a bicycle costs?"

"No, but I'm sure we could afford them." He answers,

"I'll walk to the London from here. It shouldn't take me more than an hour. I'll just borrow one of the Doctor's maps, and his psychic paper and I'll be off."

"Be back here no later than 7:30. I don't want you getting lost or hurt." Warns the Doctor, giving her some of the money and the psychic paper "Just in case."

"Alright. Thank you." Martha leaves

"Okay, let's go find a paper, and we can look to see if there's any available flats."

I take his hand and we hurry from the inn and down the street, which at nearly 11, is bustling with people.

After buying the paper, we scan it for any available flats.

"This one is nice." The Doctor points to one description.

"That's way outside our budget." I respond

"Fine." Huffs the Doctor "What about this one?"

"Too far from the London. Look at us, flat shopping together." I tease

He flashes me a grin "see I can be domestic!"

"For how long?" I laugh back

"Look at this. Three rooms, two blocks south of the London, and comes with most of the furniture. That's not bad." He offers

"And it's in our budget. A little on the high side, but once we start working it wont be so bad."

"I agree." Nods the Doctor, before he points to the number next to the listing "Let's call."

 **Hello all,**

 **So I am sorry for the hiatus. Senior year has been crazy and applying to schools has been claiming all of my time. I will _try_ to be more regular with posting, but I won't make any promises. Continue enjoying the story!**

 **Lots of Love!**


	40. Chapter 40

By 4:00, we've moved in. The Landlord was ecstatic to have us, as the flat was the last he had to rent out. The previous renters had left nearly a month ago and he had been unable to find someone else to rent it. We paid him with most of our money, and after returning to the inn to pick up our things, returned to the flat and moved in. There are two beds, a stovetop, running water, and down the hall was a floor bathroom, one for girls and one for boys.

"Rose I'm going to go pick up Martha, so she knows not to trek all the way back to the inn."

"Okay. I saw a shop on our way here with a 'help wanted' sign. I was going to run over and offer my services."

"Oh Rose." He suddenly looks horribly guilty.

"What?" I walk over to him

"I'm so sorry. When I first met you, you were working in a shop you loathed. Now, because of me you're stuck again."

"Doctor, as long as I'm with you we could be anywhere and I wouldn't mind. You go get Martha."

I hurry from the flat, down the four flights of stairs and down the street.

The bell rings as I enter the little shop. It seems to have everything in it, and it is quite adorable.

"Hello?" I call as the door shuts behind me.

"Yes? Oh, Hello! Would you like help finding something?" A woman with brown curls in a floral pink dress and a white apron hurries out of the back of the shop.

"No thank you! I was just coming to apply for a job?"

"Oh! You're the first! My name is Peggy. Please follow me!" she grins and I follow her back into the shop, and up a set of stairs. She sits me down at her kitchen table.

"Want a cup of tea?"

"Oh, yes, thank you."

She puts a kettle on the stove.

"So, do you have any experience working in a shop?"

"Back home, yeah." I nod

"Where is home?"

"A long way away…"

"North London isn't that far." She chuckles

"How did you-?"

"I know the accent. My late husband was from there."

"Oh, I'm sorry-"

"Oh, its okay! I have my shop." She brushes off, "Where did you work?"

"The store was mostly clothes, but I am sure you could teach me about the other things quickly, if you gave me the job. I live one block away so I could work anytime you needed me. What would you pay me?"

"Probably half crown an hour?"

I try to remember learning about the old money system in history, vaguely recalling a half crown to be 2 and a half shillings.

"That would work for me." I nod as the pot whistles.

She hurries to it and pours each of us a cup, handing me mine.

"Thank you" I accept it.

"Well, you seem like a strong young girl. I want you to know I have a zero tolerance theft policy. If I find something's missing and you've taken it I'll have you to the police before you can say 'the thames'."

"Yes ma'am." I nod  
"If you work for me, I'll need you here five days a week from 7, and hour before we open to 7, an hour after we close, with a 30 minute lunch break at noon. On Saturdays, from 9 to 6 and Sundays are your days off."

"I would absolutely be willing."

"Tomorrow's Monday, can you start then?"

"Yes!" I grin, shaking her hand.

"Very good. Now, let me show you how to manage some things…" she bustles me down the stairs, still holding my teacup, showing me everything around the shop, running to and fro showing me how to do different things before letting me go around 6:30.

I walked back to the flat to find Martha and the Doctor bought a makeshift dinner.

"Its just bread and some cheese, and milk but it's better than nothing." Martha offers me some as I sit at the table.

"Did you get the job?" I ask as we sit together

"Yes. They were looking for someone to work cleaning the beds after the patients so I accepted."

"But you're actually a doctor!" I gasp, incredulous

She shrugs "Maybe I'll work my way up. Did you find a job?"

"Yes, kind lady down the street. Long hours, but decent pay."

"How much?" Asks the Doctor

"Half crown an hour, 12 hour days five days a week. Plus nine on Saturdays."

"A little under 5 pounds a week. Not bad." Nods the Doctor "What about you Martha?"

"3 Crown a day, available for however long they tell me, seven days a week, no longer than 9 hours, anytime of day or night."

"That totals to about 10 pounds a week. Not bad you two!" grins the Doctor

"Thanks." Chuckles Martha, sarcastically "Glad to see so much work being done for you."

"I'll being working on getting us out of here and that's most important of all!" huffs an outraged Doctor

"Speaking of which" I stop the play fight "we need a list of items necessary for completing our tasks and how much they will cost."

"Well, we're looking at one video camera, a train ticket to Glascow, some scraps of metal and things for my Billy-locating device…" he pauses, thinking. "then we need clothes, food, a kettle for tea…"

"Martha what shift do you work tomorrow?"

"4pm to 11pm, why?"

"Why don't you make a list of what we need for the Doctor in the morning and while he works on a more compiled plan, you go shopping?"

"That sounds like a brilliant idea." Grins the Doctor, widely.

"Well it better because it's the only one we've got." I tease, before sitting back in my rickety wooden chair. "This is quite a different adventure to the one's we're used to isn't it?" I joke

"Absolutely!" Laughs Martha


	41. Chapter 41

I lean over and press a kiss to the Doctor's forehead as he sleeps. Martha had the late shift until 2 and he was up late working on the device we will have to use to locate Billy. I leave and shut the door as quietly as I can behind me, before hurrying down the stairs just like I have done every morning for the past month. It's amazing how quickly you can adjust to life like this. Its almost 5:30 and I am on my way to the bakery because its my day to pick up breakfast. Whenever Martha has a midday or night shift she'll get our breakfast that morning, and I'll get it the next day so she can sleep. She's been absolutely fantastic recently, not only working hard, but being a great friend and we love to go shopping in the afternoons and evenings if she doesn't have work and when I get off shift. She's even found a bit of a love interest in a young man who works in the hospital with her, and I've enjoyed giggling with her over a drink about him.

"Morning Cynthia!" I call, entering the Bake Shop.

Cynthia is a heavyset, matronly woman with straight as a ruler black hair and big brown eyes.

"Morning Rose! What would you like this morning?"

"Half loaf of bread, three eggs, and two potatoes."

"That's one crown, two bob bit and a tanner."

I hand over the money and take the food, slipping it into my bag making the three-block walk back to the flat. I get there right at the same time as the milkman.

"Morning Rosie!" He Grins.

"Morning Fred!" I call back

"Three-a-milk today?"

"Yes sir!"

"That'll be three bob each."

I hand him the money and take the three glasses of milk he is handing me.

"Have a great rest of the day ma'am!" he calls as I start up the stairs.

"You too!" I respond. I unlock the door using the key I keep on string around my neck, and walk into the flat. I quietly shut the door behind me, and head to the stove, pulling out the pans and taking some butter from cooler starting on breakfast. I make scrambled eggs and toast.

I feel two arms slide around my waist from the back, his body cradling mine, pressing a kiss to my neck.

"Morning, love."

"Stop it! I'll burn your toast. Good morning to you too."

"It's okay." He murmurs, resting his head on my shoulder.

"You shouldn't be up, you didn't get enough sleep." I laugh lightly, nudging him away, but he simply clings tighter.

"I could smell breakfast."

"It'll be ready in a moment. Don't wake Martha." I warn, "She has to work at noon, and I want to let her sleep as long as possible."

"Do you want to wallpaper the house tonight?"

"Really?" I turn my head to look at him, in surprise.

Two weeks ago, he had explained to Martha and I why we couldn't immediately start our quest. Everything had to be carefully timed, and the first two weeks we were here, he spent every waking minute doing algorithms to figure out the exact time lines of the events. There needed to be a minimum of one week and three days between each thing we do, and the moment we start the first thing, the writing under the wallpaper, everything else would follow on the same schedule.

"Yes. I figured since you leave work at seven, we could go to the cinema and get some dinner and we'll sneak into the house afterwards. I convinced the manager to give me the key to the house yesterday."

"So that's where you were when I came home for Lunch?"

"Yes."

I press a kiss to his cheek "If you want to be helpful, get the plates out of the cupboard, and pour two glasses of milk."

He backs up, and lays three plates down on the countertop, before placing down two glasses and going to get the milk.

"Thank you." I pull the pans off the stove, dumping the butter-toasted bread and scrambled eggs onto the three plates.

"Thank you." He presses a kiss to the side of my head.

"You're welcome, now eat quickly because I have to leave soon and you need to find something to write with on the wall."

We sit at the table, and I leave Martha's plate warming in the oven for when she wakes up.

Eagerly we dig into our breakfast.

"This is delicious, Love."

"I make the same thing every Wednesday and Monday." I laugh,

"But you get better at making it every time."

"Thank you. I was thinking baked potatoes for lunch?"

"Delicious!" Nods the Doctor

"I need you to pop them in the oven around 11:30 so they'll be ready by 12:15."

"I will make sure." He promises.

I glance at the clock. 6:42.

"I better get going." I swallow the last of my meal, before placing my glass and plate in the sink, turning on the water.

"Here, why don't you get your things, I'll do the dishes then walk you over."

"It's only a block!" I laugh

"I know, but its shaping up to be a lovely day and I could use some fresh air."

"Alright."

I go to our bedroom and collect my bag. I realize he didn't make the bed, and I quickly fix it before leaving the room.

He's finished our dishes by the time I get back.

"Shall we?" he offers his arm and I laugh slightly, taking it, and we leave the flat.

"Are you ready yet?" groans the Doctor

"Almost!" I call back, tossing the time period business slacks and button up shirt in the laundry pile for me to do Saturday morning, and adjusting my dress in the mirror. I've chosen a dark blue dress covered in white polka dots, with a white Peter Pan collar and white heels, and bright red lipstick.

I hurry from the room and to the living room, where the Doctor is waiting.

"You look lovely." He gives me a quick kiss on the cheek, "Come on, don't want to be late."

"What movie did you decide on?" I ask as he takes my arm and we hurry from the flat.

"It's called _The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie_. I heard it was quite wonderful."

"I think Peggy mentioned that she thought it was good." I nod

"I'm glad. I'd hate to think your boss and I didn't have the same taste." He deadpans and I laugh.

Every since we started living such a domestic life together the Doctor has become more and more accustomed to it. All of his kisses and hugs and date nights are very sweet, but I think some of it is for my benefit. I can feel him rolling about restlessly at night, before going to stand by the window, looking up at the stars, with a look of terrible longing on his face. It is selfish of me to wish that we could stay together like this, so I never tell him whenever I have the momentary urge to beg not to ever leave.

"I figured we wont have enough time for a proper dinner and the movie, so I hopped in at the shop earlier and grabbed some candy."

"You shouldn't have!" I gasp "What type?"

"Cherryheads, Appleheads, and a couple of Blow Pops."

"What flavor blowpop?"

"Berry?" He offers after a moment of looking at the lollipop he pulled from his pocket.

"Yum!" I take it from him and begin to unwrap it.

"You're not supposed to eat it yet." He laughs, "We're almost there anyway."

I defiantly put the pop in my mouth. "I disagree."

"Come here." He tugs the lollipop out of my hand.

"Oi! Give it here!" I laugh, reaching for it, but he holds it well above my head. "Doctor!"

He pops it into his mouth "Mine now." He mumbles around it, before hurrying ahead to hold open the doors for me.

On my way in, I steal the lollipop back.

"Martha you have to be quieter than that." Chastises the Doctor as we sneak through the undergrowth.

After the movie, which was very good, Martha met us outside the theatre after her shift and we headed to the house together to leave our message. Now, we've scaled the fence and we're creeping through the bushes to get to the back door.

"Stay here. When I go inside follow me." Orders the Doctor, before he hurries forward and opens the back door. As soon as he slips inside, I jump up and follow.

Soon, all three of us are in the house and sneaking to the parlor, following the Doctor's every footstep so as not to cause a creak. The house manager is sleeping in one of the bedrooms upstairs.

We finally make it to the room and shut the door, turning the light on.

The Doctor tugs the photographs out of his pocket.

"Here we are." He announces, pulling out a pencil and walking to the wall. We need to rip all across here…" he indicates with the pencil, "And then we need to write our message, and then re-wallpaper."

"Okay. I'll prepare the wallpaper glue." Martha walks to where the men doing the wallpaper had left their supplies.

"Doctor you and I should rip the wallpaper together. You tell me where to rip and I'll follow your orders."

"Okay, but the start is high up- you should get onto the chair."

I climb onto the chair.

"Take this." He hands me a pocketknife "Helps with the ripping. Now. See the row of designs by your left hand? Count seven up from your hand and start there."

For almost an hour, Martha and I rip the wallpaper specifically to the Doctor's orders.

Once we're finished the Doctor uses black paint to paint his message. It took two hours for the paint to dry and then and then it took all three of us another hour to fix the wallpaper exactly. We start sneaking back outside, but I pause, looking back. I think of the words underneath the wallpaper, where they will be undiscovered for over 30 years.

 _Beware_

 _The Weeping Angel_

 _Oh and Duck_

 _Really, Duck_

 _Sally Sparrow_

 _Duck, Now!_

 _Love From The Doctor (1969)_


End file.
